Max Verstappen finished third in the second free practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday. Lando Norris was the fastest at the Red Bull Ring.
Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished second, one-tenth behind the Brit. Verstappen, who finished second in the first practice behind George Russell, was three-tenths behind Norris.
Lance Stroll (fourth), Charles Leclerc (fifth), Russell (sixth), Yuki Tsunoda (seventh), Gabriel Bortoleto (eighth), Fernando Alonso (ninth), and Lewis Hamilton completed the top ten. The session proceeded without red flags.
Verstappen will have to do without his regular race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase this weekend. His trusted right-hand man is absent due to private circumstances. Lambiase will be replaced this weekend by Simon Rennie, who was Daniel Ricciardo’s engineer for many years.
Verstappen hopes to close the gap to Piastri and Norris this weekend at the Red Bull Ring, which, remarkably, is not sold out. Red Bull has implemented a significant number of updates to Verstappen’s car. The four-time world champion is driving with, among other things, a modified floor.
The Grand Prix weekend in Austria will continue on Saturday at 12:30 PM with the third free practice session. Later in the day, the qualifying session will be at 4:00 PM. The race will start on Sunday at 3:00 PM.