Mercedes driver George Russell secured the fastest time in the final practice session for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Russell utilized late pace in the session to finish ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli by a margin of 0.038 seconds, as reported by the FIA.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton completed the top three, finishing closely behind the leading Mercedes pair. The session saw the top six drivers, including Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen, separated by only two-and-a-half tenths of a second, suggesting a highly competitive qualifying session ahead.
Kimi Antonelli currently holds a 41-point lead in the drivers’ championship following a series of victories earlier in the season. Meanwhile, teammate George Russell is looking to recover ground in the standings, having dropped to 50 points behind Antonelli after an electrical shutdown forced a DNF at the previous round in Spain. According to racing results published by RacingNews365, the competitive nature of the Austrian circuit has intensified following Lewis Hamilton’s victory for Ferrari in the last grand prix.