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MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe set the benchmark in Free Practice at Spielberg, delivering a 1:16.978 to finish fastest in a closely contested session. The German edged Nikola Tsolov by just 0.070s, with Alexander Dunne a further tenth back in third as the field completed its final preparations before Qualifying.
The session built steadily after the early installation laps, with Gabriele Minì initially moving to the top on a 1:17.384. That effort placed him 0.080s clear of Kush Maini, but the order shifted quickly once the next sequence of push laps began. Goethe, Minì’s MP Motorsport teammate, then produced the lap that would stand as the reference: a 1:16.978, enough at that stage to put him 0.250s ahead of Tsolov.
Tsolov responded on his following lap and cut the deficit significantly, but the Campos Racing driver remained second, closing to within 0.070s of Goethe rather than dislodging him from P1.
Rafael Câmara looked set to threaten the front after setting the fastest first sector, but his lap — like those of several rivals — came to an abrupt end when the red flags were shown. Cian Shields had run wide through the gravel at the exit of Turn 6 before spinning to a stop, requiring marshals to clear his AIX Racing car from the circuit.
The interruption came at a critical point in the session, breaking the rhythm just as several drivers appeared ready to improve. The green light returned with less than 25 minutes remaining, though teams waited before sending cars back out. With just under 20 minutes left, the field began to reappear, but immediate improvements were limited.
As Spielberg remains central to a busy Austrian racing weekend, readers can also follow broader Red Bull Ring context in our Austrian Grand Prix facts and stats preview.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak briefly climbed from 11th to sixth, only to be pushed back to seventh when Noel León improved late on to take fourth. With several drivers shifting focus toward long-run pace, the timesheet then stabilised, leaving Goethe fastest from Tsolov and Dunne.
León ended the session fourth ahead of Câmara, Minì and Inthraphuvasak. Rafael Villagómez took eighth, Colton Herta was ninth, and Maini completed the top 10.
The drivers return for Qualifying later today at 15:55 local time, with Goethe carrying the early momentum — but with the margins this tight, pole position at the Red Bull Ring remains wide open.
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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