F1 2026: Austrian Grand Prix Preview and Predictions
Formula One action is back this weekend as racing moves to Red Bull’s home in Austria after a two week gap. Fresh off Lewis Hamilton’s first-ever win for Ferrari, the Formula One 2026 season has heated up as we have a non-Mercedes winner in the season and also a new name in the title fight. Racing moves to the Styrian hills at the home of Red Bull as we have a season that is begining to heat up.
Ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix 2026, here’s our race preview and predictions.
An old warhorse newest name in the title fight ?
The Barcelona-Catalunya race saw not only Lewis Hamilton return to the stop step of the podium after nearly a two-year gap but also pick up his first win with Ferrari and become the first non-Mercedes race winner in the ongoing Formula One 2026 season in the seventh round of the season.
Hamilton’s win sees Ferrari gain some momentum and deliver on the promise they have shown for a while. It was a near perfect weekend on the Hamilton end of the garage as the pit crew was perfect, the strategists were in-sync with Hamilton’s sublime drive. While Charles Leclerc retired due to technical issues and had a weekend to forget, the other Ferrari driver also showed strong race pace and was running for a strong end before his steering wheel gave up but the pace shown on Sunday by Ferrari is something promising. Ferrari are now 72 points behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ Standing and Hamilton himself is 41 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ Standing. Mercedes know they have a title challenge on their hands and it is being led by someone who knows Mercedes very well and has all the experience in taking a title fight deep. What will also play into Hamilton’s hands is the fact that Russell and Antonelli are looking like they are going to get involved in a season-long intra-team scrap between themselves which should be perfect for Hamilton.
The win also comes at the perfect time as we have four races in the upcoming five weekends, which means it’s the ideal time to gain momentum and put his name in the title fight and gain some traction. After picking up their first win of the season in Spain, expect Hamilton and Ferrari to come to Austria with something extra in their step as they should be taking the fight to Mercedes.
Pole prediction: George Russell / Kimi Antonelli
Race winners prediction: Mercedes / Ferrari
Russell’s Reply
While Hamilton and Ferrari come into the race weekend high on confidence, there is one driver in the title fight who has endured a couple of rough weekends of late. Two retirements for Russell in the last three races means that Russell, who was leading the championship after the Chinese race, is now third in the Drivers’ championship.
Russell has been overtaken by Kimi Antonelli, who is 50 points clear of Russell and is under the threat of becoming the second fiddle at the Silver Arrows if he can’t take the fight to his teammate. With Hamilton in the mix, Mercedes needs both their drivers in the fight . Russell seems like he has been taken aback by Antonelli’s form this season and is struggling to keep up with his young teammate. Antonelli has won an incredible five out of the seven races held this season so far while Russell’s only win this season has been at the season opener in Australia. Russell has continued to impress in qualifying, living up to his ‘Mr. Saturday’ moniker, but he needs to step up on Sundays and he needs to do it now before Antonelli or Hamilton run away in the title fight.
A two-week break would’ve done him some good, to reset himself and while he was unable to convert his pole in Spain to a win, Russell should bounce in Austria with a strong weekend where Mercedes’ last win came back in 2024, when it was Russell on the top step of the podium. The Red Bull Ring will also favour the Mercedes on the long straights as they look to get back to winning ways immediately.
The Bulls on the charge
While the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari have been picking up the podiums and wins at the front of the field, one team who is quietly scoring points week in and out has been Racing Bulls. The Racing Bulls are now on a two-race double points scoring streak and are in the fight for that fifth place in the Constructors’ championship as well, currently being 16 points behind Alpine.
Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad have been making sure at least one Racing Bulls starts in the top 10 and both have not only utilised the strong race pace of the Racing Bull machinery but also put in measured drives and on a track where the Racing Bulls team has picked up points consistently in the last couple of editions, expect another strong show from Racing Bulls.
F1 Austrian Grand Prix 2026: Race details
Circuit: Red Bull Ring
Venue: Spielberg, Styria, Austria
Practice Session 1 time: 17:00 IST, June 26, 2026
Practice Session 2 time: 20:30 IST, June 26, 2026
Practice Session 3 time: 16:00 IST, June 27, 2026
Qualifying time: 19:30 IST, June 27, 2026
Main race time: 18:30 IST, June 28, 2026
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode
