George Russell topples Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton suddenly threatens

George Russell put a stop to Kimi Antonelli's practice dominance ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, by going fastest in final practice. 

The Briton posted a late 1m 07.096 to top final practice at the Red Bull Ring, just 0.038s quicker than Antonelli. 

Behind the Mercedes duo, Ferrari appeared to have turned up its upgraded engine, with Lewis Hamilton having suddenly threatened in third and just 0.115s adrift. 

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris completed the top five, while Russell at the top and Max Verstappen in sixth were separated by just 0.273s.

How FP3 unfolded

The third and final practice session ahead of qualifying got underway with an air temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, with it to be another roasting day in Spielberg. 

It was an incredibly quiet start to the session, with Cadillac's Sergio Perez the only driver on circuit across the opening 10 minutes before others left the pit lane. 

Qualifying preparation was a priority, which saw soft tyres galore across the bulk of the cars. Nevertheless, it was Kimi Antonelli who was quickest halfway through the session. 

At the 30-minute mark, Antonelli on a 1m 07.533 was just 0.017s clear of George Russell in second, with Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton having completed the top five, all within three tenths.

Into the second half of the session and Antonelli moved the benchmark to a 1m 07.134, creating a gap of four tenths over Russell in second. The top drivers all improved, but a Mercedes one-two remained intact.

A short lull followed as the drivers prepared for their final laps in practice, with the top five having then been Antonelli, Russell, Leclerc, Verstappen and Piastri. With 15 minutes remaining, the top drivers emerged for a final push.

It appeared that Ferrari had suddenly turned up its upgraded engine, as Hamilton rose from seventh to second and just 0.077s slower than Antonelli. Russell also improved, but was in third and nearly two-tenths adrift. 

Several drivers continued to improve in the closing minutes, the first of which was Piastri to go two-tenths adrift of Antonelli. With a few minutes remaining, Russell managed to go quickest, marking a vital improvement.

Nobody managed to topple Russell's time, with Antonelli, Hamilton, Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Leclerc, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad having completed the top 10.