Lewis Hamilton targeted strategy as Ferrari's best chance to beat Mercedes at the Austrian Grand Prix. He started third behind Charles Leclerc and George Russell, while admitting Mercedes looked stronger on pure pace.

The stakes were team points and track position. Hamilton wanted Ferrari to use both cars to pressure Mercedes, but he also said the straight-line speed gap made victory a difficult target.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton fought side by side during the Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen running into the gravel after their scrap. The moment added another hard racing exchange between the two champions.

The battle carried clear race risk because gravel can cost time, tyres and position. Verstappen's off-track moment showed how little margin remained as the pair fought through the corner sequence.

Ferrari's race problems in Austria carried a direct standings cost, with Lewis Hamilton losing second place in the drivers' championship after a difficult Grand Prix for the team.

That made Ferrari's performance more than a one-race concern. Dropped championship position increased pressure on the team to understand its Austria weakness and recover points quickly.

George Russell converted pole into victory in Austria, controlling the first stint and giving Mercedes enough margin to choose its pit timing. He managed late pressure from Max Verstappen to take his first win since Australia.

Kimi Antonelli recovered from a messy opening phase to finish third. His stronger final stint brought him close to Verstappen for second, helping Mercedes score heavily while showing how tight the front fight had become.

Cadillac's Formula 1 updates showed improved pace before the Austrian Grand Prix, giving the team a clearer read on whether its latest package had moved the car forward.

The hot Red Bull Ring weekend then became the main test of those gains. Austria's conditions put extra pressure on Cadillac to prove that its improved pace could hold up across demanding running.

George Russell found late pace to lead final practice at the Austrian Grand Prix, beating Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 0.038 seconds with a 1:07.096 lap after setup changes.

Antonelli had led Friday and much of Saturday's session before Russell and Lewis Hamilton closed in near the end. The result set up qualifying with Mercedes and Ferrari both near the front.

Practice in Austria brought trouble for Cadillac when Valtteri Bottas's car caught fire, while Max Verstappen stopped twice in the pit lane during the same running.

Those incidents disrupted preparation before the competitive sessions. Cadillac faced reliability pressure, and Red Bull's programme lost rhythm as Verstappen's practice running included repeated pit-lane interruptions.

Juan Pablo Montoya said Lewis Hamilton does not forget his Formula 1 history with Max Verstappen. His comment kept attention on the long-running rivalry between the two drivers.

The point matters because their past still adds weight to close racing between them. Any wheel-to-wheel fight involving Hamilton and Verstappen carries extra pressure because of that shared history.

The Austrian Grand Prix changed its drivers' parade by using team-liveried KTM X-Bows instead of the traditional lorry. The pre-race ceremony took on a different look at the Red Bull Ring.

The switch altered a familiar race-day routine before the start. It was a presentation change around the Grand Prix build-up rather than a sporting decision affecting pace, strategy or points.

Kimi Antonelli completed a Friday practice double at the Austrian Grand Prix while George Russell struggled for rhythm. Mercedes entered Saturday with its two drivers on different footing.

Antonelli's pace set the early benchmark at the Red Bull Ring, and Russell faced questions after failing to match his team-mate. The gap added pressure before final practice and qualifying.