Verstappen And Russell Share The Spoils In Austria

This weekend, Formula 1’s latest temporary home was at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, which has to be the most beautifully located venue I have ever reported from. Ontrack action is never lacking at this short but challenging circuit, and yesterday’s Sprint race was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen before Mercedes’ George Russell was a little fortunate to emerge victorious from this afternoon’s Grand Prix, which had a dramatic finale.

A potential 10-place grid penalty may be looming at some stage for reigning champion Verstappen due to a possible need for additional power unit elements beyond the number allowed for the whole season, but at least he revealed in the Austrian paddock last Thursday that he will definitely be racing for Red Bull in 2025 and quite possibly beyond, with his current contract lasting until the end of the 2028 season. Lance Stroll, another happy driver in Austria, had his existing deal to race for Aston Martin extended for next year and beyond. Stroll is a competent F1 pedaller, if hardly world champion material, and of course he is the son of team owner Lawrence, which helps.

Another driver enjoying the same feel-good factor at Spielberg was Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who will now be staying with the French outfit for at least the next two years. The team had announced recently that it will be parting company with its other current driver, Esteban Ocon, at the end of this season and, as a result, is evaluating who will replace him. As referred to in my recent Canadian Grand Prix weekend report, the infamous Flavia Briatore, a 74-year-old Italian with a chequered history within the Formula 1 world, has joined Alpine as a special advisor, including re-driver selection, and potential candidates now include Carlos Sainz as well as former Haas F1 racer Mick Schumacher. In Austria, Sainz interestingly revealed that the ongoing process of deciding which F1 team he might be driving for next year has left him trusting very few people within the paddock.

The Sprint qualifying process followed later on Friday, and the sudden roar from the crowd told you it was Verstappen who had just claimed pole position for yesterday’s race, ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Piastri plus Russell’s Mercedes.

Two drivers whose F1 futures still have large question marks alongside them are RB’s Daniel Ricciardo and Williams’ Logan Sargeant. It’s significant that the Australian Ricciardo is the only current Red Bull/RB driver without a contract for next year, and the biggest threat to his survival comes in the form of reserve driver Liam Lawson from New Zealand, who is patiently waiting in the wings for a chance to shine at motorsport’s highest level. The likeable 22-year-old’s time may come after F1’s summer break when the Red Bull/RB management are set to discuss the best way ahead, with a decision being made about whether to retain the inconsistent Ricciardo or promote Lawson. Williams, who has serious ambitions to climb back up the F1 rankings, is likely to replace Sargeant soon.

Motorsport in general and F1 in particular have been grappling with how best to stop drivers from exceeding track limits in search of higher cornering speeds and thus lower lap times. Of course, trackside barriers, like those in Monaco, and gravel traps effectively deter drivers from misbehaving, but they also increase the risk of forcing errant cars out of a race. Thus, kerbs between the track and the start of gravel traps are a half-way house solution, meaning drivers can be punished for fully going beyond the white lines at each edge of the track but without being put instantly out of the action. However, race officials faced literally over 1,200 potential instances of drivers exceeding track limits during last year's Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, indicating the need for a more effective solution. This has led to a reduction in the width of the kerbs, ensuring that any car that fully leaves the track will already be partially in a gravel trap, a situation that drivers are keen to avoid. Other countries are likely to implement the Austrian experiment, which proved to be a real success.

Because it was a Sprint weekend, there was only one free practice period rather than the usual three, and it was Verstappen who topped the timing screens on Friday afternoon, delighting his large orange-clad travelling army of fans who packed the grandstands for Red Bull's home event. Oscar Piastri from McLaren outperformed the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Sainz, but a power unit issue for Verstappen forced him to stop on track at the halfway stage due to red flags. The Sprint qualifying process followed later on Friday, and the sudden roar from the crowd told you it was Verstappen who had just claimed pole position for yesterday’s race, ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Piastri plus Russell’s Mercedes. An anti-stall problem with Leclerc’s Ferrari meant that the 26-year-old Monégasque driver failed to set a time in the final part of qualifying, leaving him destined to start from 10th on the grid.

This all simply increased the tangible excitement as the start of the Grand Prix neared, with a strong, gusty wind blowing.

The schedule for today's Grand Prix was 71 laps, while yesterday's Sprint encounter, under sunny skies and with a 31C air temperature, was a 24-lap affair. The first start was aborted due to some photographers having been spotted as a safety risk at Turn 1, and so, after a second formation lap, we had a 23-lap encounter. At the start, Verstappen held off the challenge of both McLarens before Norris started to apply intense pressure, and the latter actually led briefly on lap five before dropping behind both Verstappen and Piastri. Subsequently, Norris sought to get the better of his teammate but ultimately had to settle for third place behind a dominant Verstappen and Piastri. To their rear, Russell had passed Sainz into Turn 4 on lap eight and finished fourth ahead of Sainz and Sir Lewis Hamilton.

Later yesterday, we had the qualifying hour to determine the grid for this afternoon’s Grand Prix, and Verstappen proved to be simply untouchable, claiming pole position with a time 0.4 seconds faster than the best of the rest, Norris. Russell and Sainz earned the right to start from the second row after Piastri set a time that would have placed him third due to a track limits breach at Turn 6. Post-qualifying, the stewards fined RB’s Yuki Tsunoda 40,000 euros for using clearly abusive language over his team radio about Sauber’s Chinese driver, Zhou Guanyu, following a pit lane incident. The Japanese pedaller was duly apologetic, and half the fine was suspended pending any further such outbursts from him during the remainder of the season.

The Austrian Grand Prix on race day is always such a fun place to be these days, with so much happening in addition to the F3, F2, and Porsche Supercup rounds prior to the main event. The circuit commentators actively encourage competitive pre-race cheering from the various grandstands, accompanied by loud pop music and various Red Bull-related displays both ontrack and in the air, as well as the F1 driver parade. This all simply increased the tangible excitement as the start of the Grand Prix neared, with a strong, gusty wind blowing.

When those famous red lights were extinguished, it was Verstappen who led as Russell put pressure on Norris, whereas Leclerc had to pit for a replacement front wing following opening lap contact. On the third tour, Hamilton briefly passed his teammate before Russell regained the place, leaving Verstappen to start to increase his lead over Norris out front. Four laps later, Sainz usurped Hamilton for fourth position. However, worse was to follow for the latter when he crossed the pit entry white line and received a five-second penalty from the stewards for his misdemeanour. Following a flurry of pitstops, the leading quartet still remained Verstappen, Norris, Russell, and Sainz, although an unhappy Fernando Alonso picked up a 10-second penalty following an incident with Zhou.

So, the likeable Russell was understandably delighted to pick up his own and Mercedes’ first victory of the season, in fact their first since Brazil 2022...

The underperforming Pérez also incurred the wrath of the stewards, picking up a five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane, and soon there were more anxious moments for the Alpine management as Ocon and Gasly, who are hardly friends, fought each other hard, and it almost ended in tears! Williams’ Alex Albon then joined Hamilton, earning himself a five-second penalty for crossing the same pit entry white line. At this stage, the leading trio seemed set to remain so, separated by eight-second gaps, with Verstappen cruising out front. However, a very slow second pit stop for the triple champion reduced his advantage over Norris to just 2.8 seconds, and soon the chasing McLaren driver was right on his tail.

On lap 59, Norris found a way past Verstappen but ran off the track and had to give the position back, with race control warning him about track limits. Despite their close friendship, the action between Verstappen and Norris became tense as they battled for the lead in the Grand Prix. It all boiled over with seven tours remaining as they made contact, banging wheels as Norris sought to go around the outside of Verstappen. This led to Norris' retirement, and Verstappen needed to pit after suffering a puncture.

The clash left Russell somewhat fortuitously promoted from third to the lead, ahead of Sainz and Piastri, before the Australian quickly got the better of the Spaniard for second, so it remained for the podium trio to raise the chequered flag. Hamilton finished fourth ahead of Verstappen, who received a 10-second penalty from the stewards for causing an avoidable accident with Norris, but the large gap to Haas’ sixth-placed Nico Hülkenberg meant the Dutch racer remained fifth.

In just a week, Silverstone will host the next stop on this year's Formula 1 calendar, guaranteeing another massive attendance for the British Grand Prix at a circuit very different in character from the Red Bull Ring, where the British drivers will be in high demand both on and offtrack.

So, the likeable Russell was understandably delighted to pick up his own and Mercedes’ first victory of the season, in fact their first since Brazil 2022, whereas a downbeat Alonso set the fastest lap of the race but didn’t receive the extra point due to finishing only a lowly 18th.

When reporting on a Grand Prix, it's always interesting to spot the support category race teams loading their transporters and driving out of the venue, often while the Grand Prix is still underway, with their F1 counterparts doing likewise later. In just a week, Silverstone will host the next stop on this year's Formula 1 calendar, guaranteeing another massive attendance for the British Grand Prix at a circuit very different in character from the Red Bull Ring, where the British drivers will be in high demand both on and offtrack.

2024 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix

1 George Russell (Mercedes) 1hr24m22.798s
2 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +1.906s
3 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +4.533s
4 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +23.142s
5 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +37.253s
6 Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) +54.088s
7 Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) +54.672s
8 Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +1m0.355s
9 Daniel Ricciardo (RB) +1m1.169s
10 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1m1.766s
11 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +1m7.056s
12 Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +1m8.325s
13 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Lapped
14 Yuki Tsunoda (RB) Lapped
15 Alex Albon (Williams) Lapped
16 Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) Lapped
17 Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) Lapped
18 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) Lapped
19 Logan Sargeant (Williams) Lapped
20 Lando Norris (McLaren) Retired

2024 Formula 1 Austrian Sprint

1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 26m41.389s
2 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +4.616s
3 Lando Norris (McLaren) +5.348s
4 George Russell (Mercedes) +8.354s
5 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +9.989s
6 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +11.207s
7 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +13.424s
8 Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) +17.409s
9 Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +24.067s
10 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +30.175s
11 Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +30.839s
12 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +31.308s
13 Yuki Tsunoda (RB) +35.452s
14 Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) +38.423s
15 Daniel Ricciardo (RB) +39.397s
16 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +43.155s
17 Logan Sargeant (Williams) +44.076s
18 Alex Albon (Williams) +44.673s
19 Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) +46.511s
20 Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) +53.143s

2024 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship

1 Max Verstappen 237
2 Lando Norris 156
3 Charles Leclerc 150

2024 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship

1 Red Bull 355
2 Ferrari 291
3 McLaren 268