Lewis Hamilton goes into the Austrian Grand Prix weekend with the spotlight on the schedule and the weather, after Sky Sports published the 2026 session times and an early forecast that points to 30C heat in Styria and a risk of electric storms. Sky Sports F1 will show every session live from Friday.
Hamilton arrives as Ferrari's latest race winner and trails Kimi Antonelli by 41 points, while George Russell sits 50 points back after Barcelona. That gives the weekend a sharper edge than a standard timetable release, especially with Mercedes and Ferrari likely to start as favourites.
Friday June 26 on Sky Sports F1
The busiest day is Friday June 26. F3 Practice starts at 8.50am, followed by F2 Practice at 10am, Austrian GP Practice One at 12pm, with the session starting at 12.30pm, then F3 Qualifying at 1.55pm and the Team bosses' press conference at 2.30pm.
F2 Qualifying follows at 2.50pm, then Austrian GP Practice Two at 3.35pm, with the session starting at 4pm. The day closes with The F1 Show at 5.15pm. Thursday June 25 also includes a drivers' press conference at 2pm and Paddock Uncut at 5pm.
Red Bull Ring pace and pressure
The Red Bull Ring remains one of Formula 1's simplest-looking but most unforgiving circuits. It has 10 corners, only seven of them require braking, and three consecutive DRS zones run from the main straight to Turn 4. That is why last year's pole time landed in the 1:03s and why the track keeps producing close session times.
The same layout also carries history. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton clashed at Turn 3 on the last lap in 2016, Max Verstappen bumped Charles Leclerc there in 2019, and Verstappen collided with Lando Norris in 2024. With the race arriving after Hamilton's Ferrari win in Barcelona and Antonelli's retirement there after a Mercedes technical failure, the championship fight arrives in Austria with more pressure than usual.
Styria heat and storm risk
Temperatures in Styria are expected to sit around 30C through the weekend, with the early forecast also pointing to a risk of electric storms. That combination puts the focus on the sessions themselves, not just the race, because the pace of the weekend will have to work around both the heat and any weather interruptions.
Red Bull returns to Austria for its home race, McLaren showed signs of improvement in Spain, and Max Verstappen's future is still up in the air. The opening question now is how the Austrian Grand Prix running order holds up if the heat builds and the storms move in.
