Antonelli tops FP2 at Austrian Grand Prix as heat challenges drivers
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap in second practice at the Austrian Grand Prix, completing a perfect Friday amid high temperatures and several reliability issues.
Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes recorded the quickest time in the second practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix, improving to 1:07.014 on medium tyres. The lap was 0.195 seconds faster than his earlier best and left him ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who finished second and third respectively.
The Red Bull Ring’s track temperature rose to 49°C, prompting drivers to start on medium or hard compounds. Early in the session, several cars experienced problems: Alex Albon reported a loss of power in his Williams, Arvid Lindblad faced issues with his VCARB 03, and Sergio Perez stopped at Turn 6 after his Cadillac unit overheated, prompting a brief virtual safety car.
"No power," Albon said of his Williams car.
After the initial disruptions, Antonelli broke his own FP1 benchmark, but his lead was briefly overtaken when Piastri set a 1:07.251 lap. Antonelli reclaimed the top spot later, and his final time remained unbeaten as teams switched back to harder tyres for the session’s closing stages.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fourth, 0.550 seconds off the pace, while Lewis Hamilton placed fifth. Mercedes teammate George Russell finished sixth, a modest result for the championship-leading team. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten.
The session highlighted the impact of extreme heat on car reliability and tyre performance, setting the stage for qualifying later in the weekend.