Report: Alex, Carlos and Luke get laps in to start our Austrian weekend

In the heat of the Styrian hills, the team completed rookie FP1 running alongside crucial data gathering for the weekend ahead

Published

26 JUN 2026

Est. reading time

3 min

The 2026 Austrian Grand Prix weekend is underway, with Alexander Albon, Carlos Sainz and Luke Browning all getting valuable time behind the wheel in the soaring temperatures at Spielberg.

Fortunately, there was no repeat of the bad luck that denied Luke his first taste of the FW48 last time out in Barcelona, as the 24-year-old Brit completed 29 laps at the Red Bull Ring.

Completing his full programme, Luke’s best time came on the soft tyre, with a 1:09.979 leaving him P18 in the session.

On the other side of the garage, Alex logged 31 laps across both the hard and soft compounds, ending the opening hour in P16 with a best of 1:09.644.

Carlos returned to the cockpit for FP2, where the conditions remained punishing as Europe continues to grapple with a record-breaking heatwave. Air temperatures climbed beyond 32°C, while track temperatures peaked above 50°C.

Our Spanish racer completed 30 tours of the Red Bull Ring in the second session, with his best qualifying simulation lap of 1:09.131 placing him P18 by the chequered flag.

Alex added a further 34 laps to his tally across the day, his quickest effort of 1:08.838 putting him P17 heading into the rest of the weekend.

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Alex Albon:

"We struggled with pace today. We didn't expect to struggle on this track as much, but the heat has also been a contributing factor with tyre deg. High-speed corners are our weakness, whereas in the low-speed sections we're on par with the rest of the field - so we need to find something extra there. It's not for a lack of effort from the whole team, and we're trying various things, but we haven't found the right balance yet. Our low-fuel runs are currently stronger than our high-fuel runs, so we need to analyse the data tonight and put together a plan to address both qualifying and race pace."

Carlos Sainz:

“It was a very difficult Friday here in Austria. Obviously missing FP1 is never ideal but Luke did a good job for us. After jumping in for FP2, we had some issues with the car that impacted our run plan but we did manage to get some laps in. Unfortunately, we are very far off and we need to unlock performance overnight if we want a shot at Q2. It’s looking to be a difficult weekend for us with the heat and the high-speed nature of the track, but I’ll do my best to extract whatever is available.”

Luke Browning:

“It was a new experience in FP1 today. It’s a very different car compared to last year’s as well as TPC testing, but it was great to get to grips with it and get behind the wheel. I think I adapted quickly, especially with the jump to the soft tyre, so I was very happy with my performance. It was great to make some improvements through the session in braking and high-speed confidence, so by the end I was happy with my run and I look forward to the next time I can get out in the car."

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