P1 showed a lot of drivers looking for the limits in the braking zone. Uphill can be tricky, you can brake later but it is also easy to overshoot your point.
I don't know what basic setup Ferrari used to send out its drivers for the first stint, but both Raikkonen and Vettel did some 180's. Must be the spaghetti and meatball setup.
Interesting surprises were McLaren in the top 10 with both cars. Honda seems to have found some extra HP (15 they say) but more important, better driveability. Still a long way to go, but a P1 without a blown engine must have felt like a relief for them.
Lewis set the fastest lap on Yellow tires. Max followed closely on Reds, setting fastest sector times in 1st and second. Bottas and Vettel were following with a 3/10 gap.
First free practice results - 2017 Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix
Pos. Driver Team Time Laps
1. L. Hamilton Mercedes 01:05.975 38
2. M. Verstappen Red Bull 01:06.165 23
3. V. Bottas Mercedes 01:06.345 35
4. S. Vettel Ferrari 01:06.424 28
5. D. Ricciardo Red Bull 01:06.620 32
6. K. Raikkonen Ferrari 01:06.848 24
7. S. Vandoorne McLaren 01:07.283 31
8. D. Kvyat Toro Rosso 01:07.437 31
9. F. Alonso McLaren 01:07.510 28
10. E. Ocon Force India 01:07.511 39
11. F. Massa Williams 01:07.550 29
12. K. Magnussen Haas 01:07.594 30
13. C. Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso 01:07.633 32
14. J. Palmer Renault 01:07.649 31
15. L. Stroll Williams 01:08.041 35
16. R. Grosjean Haas 01:08.074 20
17. S. Sirotkin Renault 01:08.586 27
18. A. Celis Jr. Force India 01:09.280 15
19. P. Wehrlein Sauber 01:09.323 29
20. M. Ericsson Sauber 01:10.853 12
The Red Bull Ring still has expansion plans, to use part of the old Österreich Ring uphill and create a more exciting part of the track there. It is the part of the circuit that is now turn 2, with the boring 90 degree corner*. With lap times of 1.06 the current track is on the short side. So an extention is good for more than one reason.
*last year it was not so boring, when Rosberg and Hamilton drove each other off track.
This proposition makes most sense to me. It would add a chicane at the end of the extended uphill straight and another after the epic fast corner to prevent cars going too fast in the section afterwards. It would also make full use of the old track layout, which was once a very dangerous and blistering fast track.
If Red Bull will go for it remains anybodies guess. But the options are there. So are the plans.
The silly season has started well before the Summer break and Kubica is getting more track time with Renault to see if he is fit to drive again in F1. Palmer is most likely driving his last season there. Sirotkin was even slower than him today, so that is no serious option. Only Alonso could stir things up thare. If Robert Kubica makes it back it will be the recovery of the decade. He ruined his arm in a Rallye accident.
Carlos Sainz wants to move up in the F1 world and is clearly looking to leave Toro Rosso. But where to go?