George Russell topped the timesheets in the third free practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday, June 27, 2026.
The Mercedes driver edged out his teammate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.038 seconds.
The top seven drivers were separated by only three-tenths of a second during the first half hour of the session.
Lewis Hamilton finished third, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen placed sixth.
Red Bull Brings Major Updates
Red Bull Racing introduced a significant update package for the RB22 in Spielberg, aimed at reducing weight and improving lap times.
The upgrades helped Verstappen cut his deficit to the frontrunners to 0.273 seconds compared to Friday's practice sessions.
Team boss Laurent Mekies addressed speculation about Verstappen's future with the team. "Max has made it clear that he wants to continue with us.
It is equally clear that he needs a fast car to feel comfortable," Mekies said.
Mekies emphasized that the team does not question the driver's commitment weekly, noting that Verstappen continues to push and assist in finding the correct development path for the car.
Isack Hadjar, who finished eighth in the session, expressed more comfort with the vehicle's handling despite a difficult opening day alongside Verstappen on Friday.
"The balance feels quite good," Hadjar said.
Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase confirmed that the extensive aerodynamic and mechanical updates performed as anticipated.
"The large update package we brought to the Red Bull Ring seems to be performing as expected," Lambiase said.
Lambiase noted that while Hadjar found a comfortable setup quickly, the team still needed to make further progress on Verstappen's car balance ahead of competitive sessions.
Sergio Pérez endured consecutive technical issues, bringing out a virtual safety car during Friday's second practice after his Cadillac came to a halt on the circuit.
"I have the same problem again," Pérez said.
Russell acknowledged that rival teams are rapidly introducing performance updates, shifting the competitive order after recent European races.
"It was certainly a reality check, because Ferrari has had a good chassis all season.
On the engine side they were a bit behind, but in Barcelona they took a step forward," Russell said.
He added that Ferrari and McLaren have consistently brought upgrades every few races, emphasizing that Mercedes must continue pushing development.
The grid positions for the main race will be determined during qualifying scheduled at 16:00 local time.
