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The final hour of practice at the Red Bull Ring offered a fascinating snapshot of the competitive order heading into Qualifying for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. In scorching conditions, with track temperatures nudging past 50°C, FP3 became a pure qualifying dress rehearsal, and Mercedes emerged as the team to beat—albeit by the finest of margins.
George Russell topped the timesheets with a 1:07.096, edging his team-mate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.038s in a session that underlined Mercedes’ formidable one-lap pace. Russell’s fastest lap came on used soft tyres, five laps into the stint, highlighting both confidence and control in conditions where tyre degradation was a major concern.
Antonelli, who had dominated both Friday sessions, looked set to continue that trend after leading much of FP3. However, he was unable to extract more performance from his second set of softs as the track temperature climbed. Even so, the fact his earlier lap remained competitive until the very end speaks volumes about the teenager’s form this weekend. Mercedes now head into Qualifying with two drivers fully convinced they can fight for pole.
Ferrari showed clear signs of progress compared to Friday, with Lewis Hamilton jumping into third place, just 0.115s off Russell’s benchmark. The upgraded power unit appeared to give Ferrari a much-needed boost, and Hamilton looked far more comfortable than in FP2, where he had struggled with lock-ups.
Charles Leclerc, by contrast, endured a scrappier session. While his earlier brake concerns seem resolved, he finished seventh and never quite matched Hamilton’s rhythm. A lap deletion for track limits at Turn 3 compounded a frustrating hour for the Monegasque, who still appears to be searching for confidence on corner entry.
McLaren quietly went about their business and remain firmly in contention. Oscar Piastri finished fourth, 0.248s off the fastest time, while Lando Norris was just 0.016s behind his team-mate in fifth. Both drivers managed two push laps on the soft tyres, an encouraging sign given how marginal the C5 compound has been in the heat.
The question remains whether McLaren can hold onto this position if rivals turn their engines up further in Qualifying, but the underlying pace looks solid—particularly over a single lap.
Max Verstappen ended FP3 in sixth, just over a tenth behind Norris, in what was a relatively low-key session by his standards. After a disrupted Friday due to reliability and seat issues, Red Bull are still evaluating a significant upgrade package. As team principal Laurent Mekies admitted, “When you bring such a large package, it is not plug and play. We are still in evaluation mode.”
Isack Hadjar impressed once again, taking eighth place after limited running earlier in the weekend, while Racing Bulls continued their strong showing with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad ninth and tenth respectively.
Alpine enjoyed a more positive session, with Pierre Gasly in 11th and Franco Colapinto climbing to 14th late on. Audi placed both cars solidly in the midfield, while Williams, Haas and Cadillac all faced varying degrees of difficulty—particularly Cadillac, who continue to recover from reliability problems on Friday.
Aston Martin endured a tough FP3, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll anchoring the field, well adrift of the midfield pace.
Mercedes look marginally ahead, Ferrari are back in the fight, and McLaren remain a genuine threat. With tyre degradation high, track limits strict, and gaps measured in hundredths, Qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix is shaping up to be one of the tightest sessions of the season.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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