Austrian GP
A surprisingly quiet start meant the frontrunners kept the status quo through the opening laps.
Any hope that the Ferrari’s may be able to sandwich Verstappen quickly disappeared. The Dutchman once again showing imperious pace off the line to build a gap to Leclerc and Sainz in behind.
Alpha Tauri’s underwhelming season continued, as Yuki Tsunoda brought out an early safety car, getting floor damage as a result.
There were battles down the field with a number of front runners in the midfield. Sergio Perez had a stinker on Saturday – qualifying 15th – but quickly made up ground. His most important move coming on George Russell – another Saturday struggler.
His teammate wasn’t faring much better. Lando Norris complained about the Mercedes car consistently exceeding track limits. We saw 46 laps deleted on Saturday, remember. This was due to brake issues for the driver that had plagued him since the start. and continued to bother the 7-time champion throughout the race.
We soon saw both drivers coming into the pits with some making the most of the VSC brought about by Nico Hulkenburgs car failure on lap 15. Another dissapointing weekend for the German who seems to get the most out of that car in qualifying, but has no luck in the race.
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Thankfully, the VSC sparked the race into life. Carlos Sainz was left ruing another Ferrari strategy blunder as his pit stop relegated him to 7th – he felt they should have stayed out. He quickly dispatched Norris though and more good news came shortly after. Hamilton, still suffering from those brakes issues, received a 5 second penalty for exceeding track limits. He wouldn’t be the last.
‘The sprint comes to the race’
There was fantastic racing further down the grid with Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon all in a close tussle. No driver was giving an inch as Austria lived up to its reputation for giving us exciting races.
Hamilton pleaded for Perez to join him in getting a penalty for exceeding track limits but the stewards disagreed Instead, it was Ocon who was exceeding track limits while Sainz received his own penalty shortly after. It’s something for the FIA to clarify before next years event and any other event with dubious track boundaries this season for that matter . We don’t wan’t to see races dictated by penalties.
I don’t get to talk about Verstappen much in these race reports this season. He isn’t often involved in the action.
So, I’ll take my opportunity with both hands. For the first time in 249 laps Verstappen was not leading a race today.
After staying out during the VSC period, the champion came in for a new set of hard tyres. He quickly dispatched the two Ferraris and normal service resumed. Sorry Max fans…that’s all i’ve got.
As we went past lap 40 final pit stops were being served with many delayed by their run ins with the stewards.
It left the Ferrari and Red Bull holding the top four positions while Norris continued his fine form yesterday running in 5th. As a driver who did not receive a penalty, his discipline was was being rewarded, with a fine points finish in sight.
The Mercedes cars languished in 7th and 8th respectively with a downbeat Toto Wolff conceding to Hamilton that this weekend they had ‘a bad car.’ Plenty of work to do before Silverstone where both drivers will be keen to impress.
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This morning, Naomi Schiff highlighted George Russell’s downturn in form since the Monaco GP and there was no sign of that changing today. He did what he could after a poor qualifying session but no longer seems able to match Hamilton’s pace.
Up the order, Perez was enjoying a much-needed resurgence as he battled his way past Carlos Sainz to take third, and secure a podium. The Mexican driver has been under pressure to perform with Helmut Marko clearly unimpressed at his performances. This podium will go some way to reminding people of his abilities.
It would haver brought a smile to Leclerc’s face though, as that squabble between Checo and his teammate allowed him to open up a gap that would secure second place. A solid result for Ferrari whose upgrades worked well this weekend.
Confidence and class from Red Bull at the Austrian GP
Although once again there was no doubt about who is the main man and team in Formula 1 right now. Lap 69/71 and Max Verstappen was in for the soft tyre! Why you ask? He was not content with just getting the victory, he wanted the fastest lap as well.
An elite mentality from an elite driver. Although it does leave you feeling like your watching a YouTube attempt a challenge on the F1 game.
There’s no doubt this season is exciting with battles throughout the field, but my title is writing itself at this point. I can only offer my congratulations and admiration to Red Bull for the job they’re doing right now.
Lando Norris is undoubtedly driver of the day with a smashing 5th place for McLaren.
A quiet Austrian GP for Aston Martin who do seem to be struggling with the development race. Alonso was anonymous throughout while Stroll’s continued mediocrity will be a concern. How long can he keep that seat if he is underperforming?
Pierre Gasly came through a wild race with some great overtakes and a deserved 9th place.
Next week, it’s on to Silverstone where we have numerous team and drivers looking to impress at their home race. It’s going to be a cracker!
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Austrian GP