Nico Rosberg has come out on top in the first practice session ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old, who currently trails Lewis Hamilton in the overall drivers' standings, finished narrowly ahead of his Mercedes teammate in this morning's session.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel experienced some issues with his gearbox, while Fernando Alonso's McLaren woes continued with problems of his own out on the Spielberg track.

There was little surprise up the other end, however, as Hamilton and Rosberg finished ahead of the chasing pack, with Kimi Raikkonen - who briefly topped the timesheet - and Valtteri Bottas finishing in third and fourth respectively.

The second practice session is scheduled to get underway at 1pm this afternoon.

First practice standings:

1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
5. Felipe Nasr (Sauber)
6. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull)
7. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
8. Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso)
9. Felipe Massa (Williams)
10. Sergio Perez (Force India)
11. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
12. Pastor Malandonado (Lotus)
13. Nico Hulkenburg (Force India)
14. Jolyon Palmer (Lotus)
15. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
16. Jenson Button (McLaren)
17. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
18. Will Stevens (Marussia)
19. Roberto Merhi (Marussia)
20. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)