Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the first practice session for the Styrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, July 10
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen posted the fastest time Friday and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton lacked pace in the second practice session for the Styrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen was .043 seconds quicker than Valtteri Bottas — Hamilton's teammate at Mercedes — and .217 ahead of Racing Point driver Sergio Perez.
Hamilton was only sixth fastest, about .7 seconds slower than Verstappen. The six-time F1 champion spent a chunk of time in the garage while his team worked on his car.
Despite adding a new front wing to its car, struggling Ferrari had a dismal afternoon.
Charles Leclerc was only ninth quickest and one second slower than Verstappen, while teammate Sebastian Vettel lagged about two seconds behind Verstappen in 16th.
Daniel Ricciardo lost control of his Renault car early into the second session, swerving left off the track and thudding backward into a protective tire wall. He climbed out unharmed, other than a slight limp, but the left rear tire was mangled and the car lifted off the track by a crane.
Alexander Albon spun twice, the Red Bull driver's second spin taking him right off the track and into gravel.
Earlier, Perez was fastest in the first practice ahead of Verstappen and Bottas, with Hamilton fourth quickest and Vettel only 10th in sunny conditions.
That session was briefly interrupted when Nicholas Latifi's Williams car pulled over to the side with a gearbox issue.
The incident brought yellow flags out, forcing drivers to slow down. But McLaren driver Lando Norris overtook Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri and got a three-place grid penalty for Sunday's race.
The 20-year-old Norris finished third at the Austrian GP last weekend, becoming the youngest British driver in F1 history to get on the podium and third youngest in F1.
The upcoming race is changing names from last week but is still being held at the same track. It is surrounded by the Styrian mountains.
A third and final practice will be held on Saturday morning before qualifying in the afternoon, with heavy rain and storms in the forecast.
