June 24 (Reuters) - Formula One could take another twist in Austria this weekend after Lewis Hamilton ended Mercedes' dominant run with his breakthrough first win for Ferrari in Spain.
The scenic Spielberg circuit hosts the eighth round of the season with Mercedes the favourites on paper after six wins — five in a row for Italian teenager and championship leader Kimi Antonelli — and seven pole positions so far.
Mercedes boast a good record at Spielberg and George Russell won there in 2024 but seven-time champion Hamilton has now had two second places and a win from his last three starts and is gathering momentum.
McLaren's reigning champion Lando Norris won from pole last year, with Australian teammate Oscar Piastri setting the fastest lap, and the team is the most successful constructor at the track with seven wins.
A first win of 2026 would send McLaren to their home British Grand Prix at Silverstone next week with an added spring in their step.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen meanwhile has a record four wins at his team's home track while Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc is also a past winner at Spielberg (2022), and was third last year, and is as keen as anyone to get back on top of the podium.
ALL THE MAKINGS OF AN EPIC TUSSLE
Throw in Antonelli's response to being sidelined by mechanical failure at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and Russell's eagerness to close the gap on his teammate, and Sunday's race has all the makings of an epic tussle.
"It's not going to be straightforward but I'm already looking forward to the next one because I really want to go back to where we left (off), from where we were finishing before," said Antonelli after his Spanish blow.
The 19-year-old is 41 points ahead of closest rival Hamilton, whose teammate Leclerc also failed to score in Barcelona through no fault of his own and needs to close a widening gap to the Briton.
Another win for either Hamilton or Leclerc would be Ferrari's 250th in Formula One.
Mercedes have recognised the Ferrari threat, with team boss Toto Wolff calling Barcelona a reality check and acknowledging that the team may have to change their approach in future amid ongoing reliability concerns.
"Others have gained ground quickly and we need to respond," said the Austrian, whose team will bring some updates to Austria with a focus on performance and reliability.
"We are in a fight for both championships but must improve if we want to come out on top come the end of the season. Our Achilles heel so far has been reliability."
Wolff said in Barcelona there would also be discussions with the drivers about handling "a situation where we risk holding each other up. I think it’s not going to be a problem. It’s just maybe we need to recalibrate."
Champions McLaren will be bringing an experimental rear wing for Friday practice, with otherwise minor updates.
Norris took his first F1 podium in Austria in 2020 and, after looking like Mercedes' closest challengers in Miami last month when he and Piastri finished one-two in a Saturday sprint, could pose more of a threat again in Spielberg.
"While we take nothing for granted in such a tight field, we are optimistic that the car and driver characteristics will again suit the circuit, putting us in the fight at the front," said McLaren's applied engineering technical director Neil Houldey.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
