Ferrari once again wasted absolutely no time getting out on track at the beginning of the second free practice session for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. As soon as the pit lane opened, the Italian team sent both SF-26 cars into action to maximize the available track time. Lewis Hamilton was the first Ferrari driver to leave the garage and begin his programme, continuing the same methodical approach that had already characterized the opening practice session earlier in the day. Across his two timed laps, separated by two cooling laps to properly manage tyre temperatures, Lewis Hamilton displayed essentially the same driving philosophy seen during FP1, focusing on gathering consistent data rather than chasing outright lap times.
This time, however, Charles Leclerc was finally back behind the wheel after sitting out the opening session, having handed his Ferrari over to Swedish youngster Dino Beganovic for FP1. Naturally, Charles Leclerc’s first objective during the session was to rebuild confidence with the SF-26 after missing valuable running. Every lap became important as he worked through the team’s programme, gradually reacquainting himself with the balance and behaviour of the car around the short but technically demanding Spielberg circuit. Despite taking a measured approach at first, the Monegasque driver never appeared hesitant and remained fully committed whenever the opportunity arose to increase the pace.
Even so, Charles Leclerc remained slightly slower than teammate Lewis Hamilton during the opening phase of the session, which was hardly surprising. Lewis Hamilton already possessed the benefit of a full practice session’s worth of information, allowing him to immediately push closer to the desired operating window. Having already gathered extensive feedback during FP1, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion could concentrate on refining specific areas rather than learning the car from scratch.
Throughout those opening laps, the British driver continued receiving detailed guidance from the Ferrari pit wall. His engineers highlighted several corners where improvements were still available, particularly regarding corner entry into Turns 1 and 3. They also focused attention on maximizing performance through the apexes of Turns 7 and 9, where even small gains can translate into valuable lap time over a circuit as short as the Red Bull Ring. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, received a different set of instructions from race engineer Bryan Bozzi. Rather than focusing purely on corner speed, the discussion revolved around racing lines, braking references and brake mapping, all aimed at helping him quickly recover the rhythm lost by missing FP1.
Less than ten minutes into the session, proceedings were interrupted by a double yellow flag, forcing both Ferrari drivers to immediately lift off the throttle and abandon their current flying laps. During this period, engineers continued communicating with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, offering advice on tyre management while waiting for racing conditions to resume. The interruption was caused by Sergio Perez’s Cadillac stopping on circuit, temporarily bringing the action to a halt. Fortunately, after approximately five laps under restricted conditions, the yellow flags were removed and normal running resumed, allowing every team to return to their scheduled programmes.
Compared to the first practice session, Ferrari appeared to be operating with noticeably more power available from the power unit. Even without telemetry, the difference could be detected simply by listening to the engine note as the SF-26 accelerated through Spielberg’s long uphill sections. Lewis Hamilton completed another representative flying lap, although the number 44 Ferrari still lacked the overall composure the team was hoping to achieve.
One of the main issues remained the car’s behaviour during corner entry. Lewis Hamilton struggled on several occasions to consistently place the SF-26 exactly where he wanted at the apex. Compared to FP1, the Ferrari now displayed a slightly more pronounced tendency towards understeer while entering slower corners. Although this represented an improvement over the excessive oversteer experienced earlier, the revised balance created a different compromise. The delayed rotation prevented the seven-time world champion from applying the throttle as early as desired, reducing traction on corner exit and ultimately costing valuable tenths over the course of a lap.
Austrian GP: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc still chasing the ideal setup
During his final attempt in this phase of the session, Lewis Hamilton managed to improve his performance through Turns 7, 8 and 10. However, Turn 1 continued to represent one of the weakest sections of the lap. Race engineer Carlo Santi continued supplying detailed feedback over the radio, reminding Lewis Hamilton exactly where lap time was still being lost. According to Ferrari’s data, around two tenths disappeared in Sector 1, another three tenths in Sector 2, while only a single tenth remained to be found in the final sector. The numbers clearly demonstrated that the biggest opportunities still lay within the first two sectors of the circuit.
While Lewis Hamilton was gradually moving closer to Ferrari’s desired reference points, Charles Leclerc experienced a more complicated sequence of laps. The Monegasque driver had finally begun putting together what looked like a genuinely competitive lap before suffering a snap of oversteer through Turn 7. The moment prevented him from maximizing the lap and forced another reset before trying again.
Shortly afterwards, Charles Leclerc informed the team over the radio that the rear of the SF-26 still did not feel completely settled. Although the balance had improved compared to earlier running, the Monegasque felt there was still room for further refinement before he could extract the car’s maximum potential with complete confidence.
While Lewis Hamilton returned to the Ferrari garage to prepare for the qualifying simulation on the Soft compound tyres, Charles Leclerc elected to remain on track for one additional flying lap before coming back into the pits. The decision proved worthwhile. The Monegasque driver successfully completed the lap and, despite still searching for the ideal balance, managed to lap approximately four tenths faster than the Briton before eventually returning to the garage. Once both Ferrari drivers were back in the pits, the team spent several minutes carefully analysing telemetry, comparing traces from both cars and reviewing the different approaches taken by each driver around the Austrian circuit.
Soon afterwards, both Ferrari drivers returned to the circuit for another series of qualifying-style runs. This represented another opportunity to further understand the evolving behaviour of the SF-26 on lower fuel and softer tyres. Lewis Hamilton immediately pushed harder but continued struggling to find the ideal handling characteristics, whereas Charles Leclerc produced a cleaner and more complete lap that better reflected the car’s available performance.
Following two cooling laps designed to preserve tyre performance, both Ferrari drivers launched another attempt. Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc managed to improve upon their previous best lap times. Importantly, this was not a problem unique to Ferrari, as none of the leading drivers from the front-running teams managed to significantly improve during this particular phase of the session. With the qualifying simulations complete, both Ferrari cars headed back to the pit lane as engineers prepared the cars for the final stage of FP2: the high-fuel race simulations.
Ferrari’s race pace shows potential but still needs refinement
Before examining Ferrari’s long-run pace in greater detail, it is worth highlighting one important point. Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc managed to piece together what could truly be described as a perfect qualifying lap. In almost every attempt, one small mistake, one slight correction or one imperfect corner prevented either driver from maximizing the full potential available in the SF-26.
One encouraging aspect, however, was the level of rear grip generated by the Ferrari. The stronger rear stability shifted the overall balance slightly towards the rear axle, helping reduce the excessive oversteer that had characterized earlier running. As a result, the SF-26 appeared noticeably less nervous and required less aggressive corrections from both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during cornering.
Another positive sign emerged inside the Ferrari garage itself. At no point did the engineers appear particularly concerned about the behaviour of the car, nor did they resort to unusual setup tools or drastic mechanical adjustments in an attempt to cure the remaining balance issues. That is generally an encouraging indication because it suggests the team’s baseline setup remains fundamentally sound, even if further refinement is still required before qualifying.
As attention shifted towards the race simulations, engineers repeatedly reminded both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc of the various procedures required to properly manage tyre degradation and maintain consistent pace over longer stints. Every lap served a valuable purpose, allowing Ferrari to collect additional information regarding tyre behaviour, fuel consumption and overall consistency.
Across the seven laps available for the high-fuel programme, Ferrari’s race pace looked reasonably encouraging. The SF-26 did not appear capable of matching the benchmark pace displayed by McLaren or Mercedes over the longer runs, but neither did it look dramatically off the pace. Instead, the data suggested there remains a realistic foundation upon which Ferrari can continue building throughout the remainder of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
Interestingly, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton appeared more frustrated with their own execution than with the Ferrari itself. Several visible steering corrections, combined with a handful of occasions where both drivers ran slightly wide, demonstrated that they were still adapting to the current balance rather than fighting an unpredictable car. Those small imperfections ultimately prevented either Ferrari driver from extracting every available tenth.
Overall, the underlying picture remains cautiously optimistic for Ferrari. The Maranello team appears to have established a solid baseline setup, while the SF-26 demonstrates encouraging characteristics in several key areas. Nevertheless, further work is still required before qualifying. Ferrari will need another meaningful step forward in setup optimization to provide both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with the confidence necessary to consistently attack every corner. If that additional improvement can be found overnight, both Ferrari drivers should be in a stronger position to fully exploit the potential of the SF-26 during the remainder of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
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