I wanted to first touch on the F1 movie. It’s been highly publicised and with lead actors Brad Pitt and Damon Idris, and it exceeds expectations. The gripping thriller highlights the angst and drama in F1 racing. Of course, elements are dramatised, but overall, it was a tremendous success, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Austrian Grand Prix sees Red Bull Racing’s home race and Max Verstappen’s home race, the crowds filled with orange, but this time to celebrate Verstappen rather than McLaren.
A Crazy Qualifying
Albon is concerned about his floor; maybe he’s run over a curb too hard in the final few minutes in Q1. It’s not looking good for Haas as they struggle on the final lap.
Tsunoda is struggling on his final fast lap and not improving; he will be out, and it’s not looking good for Sainz either, as he secures a 3rd consecutive Q1 exit. Hulkenburg suffers in last place, and Ocon in Hass ends his race in 17th, and Stroll finishes in Q1.
In Q2, an obvious annoyance for Verstappen, as he verbally analyses the issues in his car over the radio, hoping his mechanics can turn it around.
A brief red flag for Q2 as a grass fire appears after Hamilton dipped his tyres in the grass. With 5 minutes left we’re back on track with the final push laps to see who will make the top 10.
Bortoletto had an awe-inspiring qualifying session, advancing to Q3 for the first time. Antonelli was desperate to match his rookie driver just securing a place in Q3. Gasly rockets up to 6th place along with Racing Bulls Lawson into Q3.
It’s a sad day for Williams as Albon is out in 12th and Alonso in 10th. Rookies Hadjar and Bearman are out and will be desperate to score points in tomorrow’s race. One car from each of the Red Bull teams is hoping to perform well, as the Austrian Grand Prix is held at the Red Bull Ring.
The final fast laps for Q3 clearly show Norris is in the lead, but can Ferrari, Mercedes or his teammate beat his top score? Verstappen is desperate to get a 6th pole position in a row at his home Grand Prix.
A short yellow flag comes out making Piastri bail his final lap but soon it goes green and there’s no stopping Norris as he takes pole position. Verstappen is down in 7th, also affected by the yellow flag caused by Gasly. Gasly spawn in the final corner ruining his last lap and a few other drivers too.
A successful finish still for both McLarens with Norris in pole and Piastri in third. Ferrari had a strong finish with Leclerc in 2nd, splitting the drivers and Hamilton in 4th. Russel in 5th and Antonelli in 9th. Hopefully both drivers can work together in this race. A brilliant result for Lawson in 6th and a career best for Bortoletto in p8.
A Disastrous DNS
A devastating DNS for Carlos Sainz who’s unable to get off the track for the formation lap and later with both rears on fire.
After an aborted start the Austrian Grand Prix began with 19 drivers. Lando Norris rode ahead, boxing Leclerc, which enabled his teammate Piastri to swoop into 2nd place by the first corner.
The drama is not done yet as Antonelli locks up and hits Verstappen, and this leads to a very disappointing race for Max Verstappen at his home race, the Mercedes of Antonelli is also unable to continue.
The safety car disappears as all the cars begin to fight each other once again. Russel and Hamilton go head to head as ex-teammates, and Leclerc is desperate to get his position back from Piastri. Norris and Piastri are neck and neck fighting together, desperate to be in first position. Norris holds him off in the early laps but can he hold on?
Tsunoda and Stroll bang wheels, leaving some damage to both front wings after 15 laps. Whilst Albon retires which is his 3rd consecutive retirement.
It’s not been a good weekend for Williams.
Norris and Piastri are desperate trying to overtake and opposing tactics to see what will win. After 20 laps, many cars began to pit, planning to employ a two-stop strategy for the remainder of the race.
Colapinto and Tsunoda clash as Colapinto gets spun halfway through the race; both manage to continue, but Tsunoda receives a 10-second penalty for causing a collision, which ultimately ruins their race.
Midfield Magic
Sauber is performing a great race with both cars, thanks to quick pit stops and superb strategies that give them the best chance to score valuable points. This season, we’ve seen a tight constructors’ battle with the midfield cars.
Lawson up into 5th position would be a great finish for Racing Bulls, and Alonso is also in the points with only 20 laps to go.
As Piastri exits his final pit stop he ends up stuck in the middle of a battle between Tsunoda and Colapinto. An unfortunate battle forces Piastri off the track and into the grass. He manages to hold on, but a significant gap has been created between the two McLarens.
The last few laps show a masterful performance from both Mclaren drivers, a small gap between them. Bortoleto has managed to hold onto 7th position until the final lap, where he has a tricky fight with Alonso, his mentor, but ultimately loses.
Lando Norris wins the Austrian Grand Prix and a tremendous 1-2 for Mclaren with Leclerc in 3rd. A fourth podium for Ferrari with Hamilton in 4th.Russel snags 5th as the only Mercedes driver on track and Lawson in 6th, a great position for the only Red Bull driver gaining points in the sister team.
An excellent showing from rookie Gabrielo Bortoletto as he secured his first points for Saba, along with Hulkenberg in 9th.
A thrilling race with only 16 cars finishing and a few devastating moments especially for Verstappen at his home Grand Prix.
Now, onto my favourite race (I’m biased), the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
See you then.
A great review again. I thoroughly enjoyed the F1 film too and thought it was an exciting film to watch and would highly recommend it. Well done to Norris who had to work hard to keep Piastri at bay.
Totally agree about the F1 Movie.
Thorough accurate review of the qualifying & the race. Great to see the rookies doing so well generally. Silverstone here we come.