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.
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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.
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Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase confirmed that the extensive aerodynamic and mechanical updates performed as anticipated.
