Formula 1: Russell Tops FP1 as Alex Dunne Impresses on Debut at Austrian GP

Spielberg (Austria)- George Russell carried forward his impressive momentum from his Canadian Grand Prix victory, clocking the fastest lap in Free Practice 1 of the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. The Mercedes driver set the pace with a lap time of 1:05.542, narrowly edging out local hero Max Verstappen by just 0.065 seconds. McLaren's Oscar Piastri followed in third, 0.155 seconds off Russell’s benchmark.

The session was highlighted by the debut of two Formula 2 drivers. Current F2 championship leader Alex Dunne replaced Lando Norris at McLaren and made history as the first Irish driver to feature in a Formula 1 race weekend in over 20 years. Dunne made an immediate impact, finishing fourth, just 0.224 seconds behind Russell.

Ferrari also fielded F2 driver Dino Beganovic in place of Charles Leclerc, though his running was limited due to mechanical problems.

Verstappen, working with a substitute race engineer while Gianpiero Lambiase is away, reported setup concerns and experienced a lock-up in his RB21. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda also faced challenges, running wide during the session as he struggled for consistency.

Lewis Hamilton’s session was cut short by a gearbox issue, forcing him back to the garage, while Beganovic’s Ferrari was spotted stationary with its floor removed. The session also saw brief yellow flag interruptions due to spins from Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.

As soft tyres were introduced in the latter part of the session, Russell’s benchmark time remained unbeaten despite light rain towards the end.

Other notable performances included Alpine’s Pierre Gasly securing a spot in the top five, Gabriel Bortoleto finishing sixth, and rookie Kimi Antonelli taking 11th place.

With uncertain weather conditions expected to continue, teams are now shifting focus to the second Free Practice session (FP2) scheduled for later on Friday.

With inputs from IANS