Antonelli fastest in both practice sessions at Austrian Grand Prix
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheets in both Formula 1 practice sessions at the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday, improving his lap time in the second session.
In the first practice session, Antonelli set a lap of 1:07.796, 0.4 seconds ahead of his teammate George Russell. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) was third fastest, followed by Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in fourth.
Antonelli improved his time in the second session to 1:07.014, beating Piastri by 0.237 seconds. Lando Norris (McLaren) was third, with Verstappen again fourth, half a second behind the Mercedes driver.
A third practice session and qualifying are scheduled for Saturday, while the Austrian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday.
After seven races, Antonelli leads the drivers' standings with 156 points, becoming the youngest championship leader in F1 history at age 19. Lewis Hamilton is second with 115 points, followed by Russell (106), Leclerc (75), Norris (73), Piastri (68), and Verstappen (55).
In the constructors' championship, Mercedes has 262 points, Ferrari 190, McLaren 141, and Red Bull 89.
The season was originally planned to have 24 rounds, but races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled due to conflict in the Middle East. The season will conclude in Abu Dhabi in early December. Last season, Lando Norris won the drivers' championship, and McLaren claimed the constructors' title.
