F1 Austria FP3 recap: Charles Leclerc chases McLaren duo as Ferrari prepares for qualifying battle. McLaren leads Austrian GP FP3 as Norris and Piastri set the pace.

Good morning and welcome to the third free practice session. Qualifying at the Red Bull Ring is approaching fast, and drivers are making the most of these sixty minutes to fine-tune their setups ahead of the session that will determine the Austrian GP starting grid. Here’s a detailed FP3 recap from ScuderiaFans.com.

The session begins on time, but drivers take a few minutes before hitting the track. Max Verstappen is the first to do so, heading out with 53 minutes to go. The Dutchman sets early laps on hard tyres, opening with a 1:06.131 before improving to a 1:05.818. With 45 minutes remaining, more cars begin to join the action, most of them on soft tyres.

Among them are both McLarens: Lando Norris grabs the top spot, while Oscar Piastri starts third but is quickly bumped down to fourth by Yuki Tsunoda, who slots into P3 on soft tyres. The track soon becomes lively, with most drivers improving their times—except Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque makes a mistake and fails to complete a clean lap. Traffic complicates matters for car #16, who eventually sets a time but only manages P8. Hamilton, meanwhile, goes second, just three-tenths behind Norris.

Elsewhere in the field, both Sauber cars impress with Bortoleto and Hulkenberg in the top 10, joined by Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon. The two Mercedes drivers are initially further back—Russell in P11 and Antonelli in P17—but both improve on their second attempts, moving up to third and sixth, respectively. With 29 minutes to go, the top 10 reads: NOR-HAM-RUS-PIA-TSU-ANT-VER-BOR-HUL-SAI.

Different programs for Max Verstappen – Setup changes for Oscar Piastri
After some fast laps on hards, Verstappen returns to the track for a short long-run on softs, showing strong and consistent pace. Meanwhile, McLaren mechanics are busy on Oscar Piastri’s car, adjusting the torsion and anti-roll bars, according to SkySportF1.

With ten minutes left, the full field returns to the track on fresh soft tyres. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remain in front, followed closely by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, both within two tenths. Hamilton is fifth, Antonelli seventh. Behind the McLaren duo, the rest of the field is tightly packed. What kind of qualifying can we expect? Join us at 16:00 for live coverage and the full session summary, which will set the starting grid for the Austrian GP.