2024 Austrian GP FP1: Max Verstappen Back On Top

Max Verstappen recovered from an on track stoppage to lead Oscar Piastri in the only 2024 Austrian GP practice session, FP1.

Ben

By Ben Bush
Updated on October 10, 2024

Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 2024 Austrian Grand Prix FP1
Max Verstappen in the Red Bull goes top in FP1 for the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix – Image Copywright: Formula One World Championship Limited

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen topped the timesheets during Friday’s only practice session ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. Despite a mid-session issue that saw him stop on track, Verstappen led the way from McLaren rival Oscar Piastri and the two Ferraris.

With the Sprint format in play for the third time this season, following China and Miami, drivers and teams had just one hour to acclimatise to the Red Bull Ring and prepare their cars for Sprint Qualifying.

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The session saw extensive use of the three Pirelli tyre compounds selected for the weekend: the white-marked C3 hard, the yellow-marked C4 medium, and the red-marked C5 soft, which is the most aggressive combination from their 2024 range.

Mercedes started strong, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell setting the early pace on hard tyres, while the medium-shod Red Bulls of Verstappen and Sergio Perez followed closely.

Midway through the session, Verstappen’s car ground to a halt on the start/finish straight due to an “engine fault,” bringing out the red flags. This raised concerns as he had moved on to his fourth power unit in Spain. However, after his car was moved back to the pit lane, Red Bull managed to reset and send Verstappen back out, allowing the reigning world champion to gather more data.

In the final 10 minutes, drivers switched to soft tyres, with Verstappen setting the fastest time of 1m 05.685s, a couple of tenths ahead of Piastri. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz secured P3 and P4 for Ferrari.

Mercedes slipped down the order, with Hamilton opting to stay on hard tyres and finishing fifth, while Russell encountered traffic and ended up eighth.

Esteban Ocon led the Alpine charge in sixth place after some promising recent performances for the Enstone team, followed by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Russell, and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, who dealt with steering column issues.

Fernando Alonso made it two Aston Martins in the top 10, with Pierre Gasly and Perez next up in 11th and 12th. Lando Norris finished 13th in his McLaren after a late promising lap on softs was compromised by a trip through the Turn 4 gravel.

The Sauber pair Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas took P14 and P15, followed by Daniel Ricciardo’s RB, and the Haas and Williams cars of Nico Hulkenberg, Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen, and Logan Sargeant.

Austrian GP FP1 Results

2024 Austrian Grand Prix FP1, 28 June 2024

PosNoDriverCarTimeGapLaps
11Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT1:05.68528
281Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes1:05.961+0.276s32
316Charles LeclercFerrari1:06.055+0.370s31
455Carlos SainzFerrari1:06.128+0.443s31
544Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:06.254+0.569s39
631Esteban OconAlpine Renault1:06.297+0.612s30
718Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes1:06.384+0.699s27
863George RussellMercedes1:06.386+0.701s32
922Yuki TsunodaRB Honda RBPT1:06.579+0.894s30
1014Fernando AlonsoAston Martin Aramco Mercedes1:06.603+0.918s30
1110Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault1:06.734+1.049s28
1211Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT1:06.783+1.098s24
134Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes1:06.880+1.195s30
1424Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber Ferrari1:06.919+1.234s28
1577Valtteri BottasKick Sauber Ferrari1:06.925+1.240s29
163Daniel RicciardoRB Honda RBPT1:06.962+1.277s31
1727Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari1:06.966+1.281s31
1823Alexander AlbonWilliams Mercedes1:06.995+1.310s28
1920Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari1:07.145+1.460s31
202Logan SargeantWilliams Mercedes1:07.259+1.574s29

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About The Author

Staff Writer

Ben Bush
Ben

Ben is a staff writer specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.

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