What the teams said – Friday in Austria

The Austrian Grand Prix practice sessions highlighted a tight midfield and high-stakes technical challenges as drivers and teams evaluated new upgrades. Kimi Antonelli led both practice sessions for Mercedes, showing impressive pace, while competitors like McLaren and Red Bull faced various reliability issues and setup struggles. Technical challenges including high track temperatures, tire degradation, and altitude effects dominated the day. While some teams like Haas and Racing Bulls found promising baseline setups, others like Alpine and Cadillac are still refining their packages for Qualifying. Pirelli noted that tire strategies remain open, with a two-stop race expected on Sunday.