Austrian Grand Prix 2026: When and where to watch Checo Pérez live in F1

The Austrian Grand Prix weekend kicked off at the Red Bull Ring with the first two free practice sessions, signaling the start of on-track action for Formula 1.

Mercedes and McLaren emerged as the early frontrunners. Kimi Antonelli set the pace in both sessions, demonstrating impressive speed. In the first practice, he was closely followed by his teammate George Russell, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri securing third place. Antonelli continued his strong showing in the second session, again finishing at the top, this time with both McLaren cars of Piastri and Lando Norris in close pursuit.

However, the day proved challenging for Mexican driver Sergio Pérez. His car suffered two technical failures during the second practice session. These issues significantly limited his track time, preventing him from effectively testing the recent updates implemented on his car. Pérez expressed his intention to make changes to his car setup for Saturday, hoping to improve his performance and secure a strong qualifying position for Sunday's race.

Pérez is currently seeking his first points of the season with Cadillac and feels he is getting closer to achieving this goal. The schedule for the remainder of the weekend includes a third practice session, followed by qualifying, and the main race on Sunday.