2025 F1 Austrian GP Day 1: Top 5 Conclusions

The first day of running in the F1 Austrian GP is done and dusted, and we have a familiar sight of the McLaren duo leading the timesheets. Lando Norris ended the day at the top of the charts with Oscar Piastri behind him.

After the blip in Canada, where the lower temperatures caught McLaren off-guard, it does appear that the team is back to its normal position of being the benchmark in the sport. In P3 we had Red Bull's Max Verstappen amidst rumors of the driver having conversations with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

The day was more or less straightforward as we didn't have any unforeseen stoppages or issues. With that being said, what did we learn from the first day of running? Let's take a look.

2025 F1 Austrian GP Day 1: Key Takeaways

#1 McLaren is the benchmark

It seems Canada was nothing more than a blip, as McLaren is back to the top. The car does not look the most stable on the track. At the same time, it still is impressive. Was the gap representative? No.

McLaren has a tendency to run a bit lighter than the competition on Fridays.

It was also a positive start for Lando Norris, who appeared to hit the ground running for the F1 Austrian GP.

#2 Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari keeping the cards close to the chest

Are the gaps representative between the top 4 teams? It seems highly unlikely to make the call for now. We might be looking at a scenario where teams are still keeping their cards very close to their chest. Red Bull looked good with Max after the early blip on Friday.

Ferrari recovered from a slow start with Charles Leclerc getting behind the wheel in the F1 Austrian GP FP2. Mercedes started quite impressively, but it's hard to pin down how varied the run plan was for George and Kimi.

Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda are probably trailing the rest of the group for now, but FP3 might be the best judge of where everyone is.

#3 Alex Dunne impressed

The Irish kid has been a sensation this season in F2, with the most impressive thing being his headstrong approach. That lap time has more or less ensured that he's going to get a few more gigs in the car this season, and the F1 Austrian GP FP1 might just be the sport's introduction to this young talent.

He was not one of the standout talents that everyone was keeping an eye on when 2025 had begun, but his F2 season, coupled with what he just did in the F1 Austrian GP FP1, is going to grab a lot more attention now.

#4 Aston Martin looks good, while the midfield is a mixed bag

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in P4, only 4 tenths down on the benchmark. The good part about the day, however, was the consistency that the car is starting to show, as both Fernando Alonso and his teammate were in the mix in the top 10 throughout the day, and it just shows a better foundation for the F1 Austrian GP compared to their rivals.

When we compare Aston Martin to the rest of the midfield, it is a bit of a mixed bag, as the rest of the drivers are all over the place.

Sauber, Haas, Alpine, Williams, and RB have all shown flashes of brilliance, but a lack of clarity on what their run plans are makes it hard to take a call on what they would be capable of in the F1 Austrian GP.

Things aren't as clear in the midfield for now, even though Aston Martin appears to be a step ahead.

#5 Franco Colapinto's nervous start

A worrying outcome of the F1 Austrian GP FP1 and FP2 is going to be Franco Colapinto's deficit to Pierre Gasly, as after the Canadian GP it appears to have ballooned once again.

The Argentinian would need to be careful, as Alpine itself is not on a stable footing at the moment, with Luca de Meo resigning as Renault CEO.