Ferrari spent the opening Formula 1 practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix focusing heavily on refining the setup of the SF-26 rather than chasing outright performance. Instead of aiming for the top of the timesheets during the first hour of running, the Italian team concentrated on understanding the behaviour of the car and identifying the best development direction for the remainder of the race weekend. While the SF-26 did not yet appear to be perfectly balanced in every area, it nevertheless showed a solid and encouraging foundation that now needs further refinement as Ferrari continues working towards an optimal setup ahead of qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Scuderia Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton adopts a cautious approach
Ferrari arrived at FP1 for the Austrian Grand Prix with only one of its regular race drivers taking part in the session. Once again, the Italian team gave young academy driver Dino Beganovic the opportunity to gain valuable Formula 1 mileage by replacing Charles Leclerc for the opening practice session. As a result, the spotlight naturally shifted almost entirely towards seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose programme became Ferrari’s primary source of reference throughout the first hour of running at the Red Bull Ring.
Lewis Hamilton wasted little time before heading out onto the circuit. The Ferrari SF-26 carrying the number 44 was fitted with a set of Medium compound tyres for the opening run. After completing an installation lap and making the usual system checks, the British driver gradually began increasing his pace. One particularly interesting detail was the unusually high number of engine mapping adjustments made before beginning the first proper flying lap. This suggested that Ferrari was already evaluating several different operating parameters from the very beginning of the session.
Lewis Hamilton’s opening laps were intentionally conservative, with the focus clearly placed on gathering useful data rather than extracting the maximum performance from the package. After only a limited number of laps, Ferrari instructed the British driver to return to the garage so that the engineers could analyse the first batch of information and prepare the car for the next phase of the programme.
This initial outing essentially served as a reconnaissance run, allowing Ferrari to assess the evolving track conditions following the intense heat that had settled over Spielberg. High temperatures always play an important role at the Austrian circuit, influencing tyre behaviour, grip levels and braking performance throughout the session. At this stage it was still far too early to draw any firm conclusions regarding the overall handling characteristics of the SF-26, particularly because the Italian car was operating well below its full potential, exactly as expected during the early stages of a Formula 1 practice session.
Even so, Ferrari’s aerodynamic platform appeared relatively stable and well-balanced from the outset. Although outright speed was not yet the objective, the initial signs suggested that the team had arrived with a reasonably solid baseline setup from which to continue developing the car over the course of the day.
Ferrari carefully evaluates the SF-26 setup
Following a break of approximately ten minutes in the garage, Lewis Hamilton returned to the Austrian circuit for another run on a fresh set of Medium tyres. Ferrari also appeared to introduce a small setup adjustment before sending the British driver back out, although the overall work programme remained largely unchanged.
The next flying lap proved less convincing. Lewis Hamilton experienced several imperfections while accelerating out of slower corners, highlighting that traction remained one of the areas Ferrari still needed to improve. Over the team radio, race engineer Carlo Santi advised the Briton to optimise his approach through the apexes of Turns 4 and 9, explaining that valuable lap time was being lost compared to Mercedes in those particular sections of the circuit.
Ferrari then moved into another important phase of the programme. Lewis Hamilton completed two consecutive cooling laps in order to reduce tyre temperatures after reporting over the radio that the Medium compound tyres had become extremely hot. Managing tyre temperatures is particularly important at Spielberg, where repeated heavy braking zones and short straights can quickly generate excessive heat within the tyres. During this phase Ferrari also reset the brake balance in an effort to further fine-tune the overall handling of the SF-26 before another performance run.
Lewis Hamilton soon began another flying lap, but the attempt ended almost immediately after the British driver ran wide in the opening sector, slightly flat-spotting the front tyres. Shortly afterwards came one of the more noteworthy radio messages of the session, with the seven-time world champion reporting that he was struggling to stop the car effectively under braking. While not necessarily indicating a major technical issue, the comment underlined that Ferrari was still searching for the correct balance between braking stability and overall corner entry performance.
As the session continued, it became increasingly evident that Ferrari’s priorities differed considerably from those of Mercedes. Rather than chasing headline lap times, the Italian team dedicated almost the entire session to evaluating different setup solutions and understanding how the SF-26 responded to various adjustments.
The task was far from straightforward. Track conditions were still evolving as more rubber was laid down, and several drivers throughout the Formula 1 field were reporting braking-related difficulties over the radio. This suggested that Ferrari was not dealing with an isolated issue but rather with conditions affecting multiple competitors during FP1. After completing another lap, Lewis Hamilton returned to the pits, where Ferrari prepared the car for another significant step in the programme by fitting a fresh set of Soft compound tyres.
F1 Austrian GP: Lewis Hamilton finds improvements on the Soft tyres
Lewis Hamilton returned to the circuit on the red-marked Soft tyres, hoping to gain a clearer understanding of the SF-26’s potential over a single lap. Even so, his first attempt remained some distance away from the fastest times recorded during the session, reinforcing the impression that outright performance was still secondary to Ferrari’s broader programme of setup evaluation.
The handling characteristics observed during the earlier Medium tyre runs remained clearly visible. The Ferrari SF-26 required numerous steering corrections on both corner entry and corner exit, with oversteer frequently affecting the balance of the car and making traction more difficult to manage. It was not an extreme or uncontrollable level of oversteer, but it was sufficient to disturb the flow of the lap and compromise acceleration when exiting slower corners.
The switch to the Soft compound nevertheless produced a noticeable improvement in overall balance and grip. Even so, Turn 1 remained far from ideal, with Lewis Hamilton still unable to achieve the level of precision Ferrari was aiming for. The same situation appeared at Turn 3, where race engineer Carlo Santi advised Lewis Hamilton over the radio to be more progressive during the throttle release phase in order to improve the car’s balance into the corner.
Turn 4 presented yet another challenge. On this occasion the SF-26 displayed insufficient rotation through the middle of the corner, making it difficult for the British driver to carry the desired speed into the exit. Overall, the Ferrari appeared to be configured with a relatively aggressive front-end setup. While this delivered responsiveness in some areas, it also created an overall balance that still required refinement before the car could consistently perform at its highest level.
It is important to underline that none of these observations pointed towards a major weakness or a significant limitation within the package. Instead, they reflected the normal process of optimising the setup during a Formula 1 weekend, particularly on a demanding circuit like the Red Bull Ring, where small balance changes can produce meaningful improvements over a lap.
Following another brief visit to the garage, Lewis Hamilton completed one final outing on the Medium tyres. This consisted of a short five-lap long run using a heavier fuel load, allowing Ferrari to begin collecting valuable race simulation data. Running with additional fuel naturally reduced the overall pace, but it also provided a much clearer picture of how the SF-26 behaved in conditions more representative of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Interestingly, the Ferrari appeared cleaner and more composed during this phase of the programme. The lower cornering speeds associated with the heavier fuel load contributed to a more stable overall balance, although there were still a few minor imperfections visible throughout the run. These remained entirely consistent with Ferrari’s ongoing setup work and did not appear to raise any significant concerns.
The opening practice session eventually came to an early conclusion following a red flag triggered by a problem involving a Cadillac on circuit. Although the interruption prevented teams from completing every aspect of their planned programmes, Ferrari nevertheless succeeded in gathering a considerable amount of valuable technical information throughout FP1.
The data collected during Lewis Hamilton’s various runs will now become an important resource for Ferrari’s engineers as they continue analysing the SF-26 ahead of the second practice session. Overall, the car does not appear to suffer from any major structural weaknesses or obvious performance limitations. Instead, Ferrari’s primary objective remains improving the overall handling characteristics by achieving a more effective and consistent balance across all phases of the lap.
The return of Charles Leclerc for FP2 will therefore be particularly important. Having both regular race drivers available will allow Ferrari to compare feedback directly between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, giving the engineers a much broader understanding of how the SF-26 behaves under different driving styles. That comparison should play a crucial role in helping Ferrari finalise the setup direction before qualifying, as the team continues working to unlock the full potential of its package for the remainder of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
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