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On Sunday, June 30, 2024, the Austrian Grand Prix, the eleventh race of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, will be held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. For the third consecutive season, the Austrian Grand Prix has been chosen as the third event out of six in this World Championship where the race weekend features the Sprint Race format. This is a 100-kilometer race with free tire compound choice and no mandatory pit stops. The results of the Sprint Race award points towards both the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championship standings for the top eight finishers. For this Grand Prix, Pirelli, the sole tire supplier, offers a choice between C3, C4, and C5 compounds, the softest range available from the tire supplier. Meanwhile, the FIA confirms the three Drag Reduction System (DRS) zones used since the 2018 edition of the race when the motorsport governing body decided to increase the DRS zones at the Red Bull Ring from two, used since the circuit's return to the calendar in 2014, to three, to promote overtaking. Drivers can activate the rear wing on the main straight, with the detection point set before Turn 10, between Turn 3 and Turn 4, with the detection point before Turn 3, and between Turn 1 and Turn 3, the new section added later, with the detection point before Turn 1. Compared to the 2023 edition, gravel has been placed outside the curbs at Turn 9 and Turn 10. In recent editions of the race, this area saw numerous lap times deleted by the stewards for track limit violations. Finally, the FIA has established that any driver who does not correctly navigate the exit of Turn 10 will have their current lap time and the immediately following lap time invalidated by the stewards. Recently, the most debated topic has been the return of Flavio Briatore to a team in an operational role. Among the critics, Damon Hill is undoubtedly the most outspoken about the news:
"I just don’t understand it. It’s bewildering to me, and I’m very disappointed. I listened to the team principals’ press conference and everyone said: ‘Why are you so surprised? It’s Flavio. He knows this sport, he has an incredible history of brilliant ideas in this sport.’ And that’s fine, but what will he bring? For me, it’s an opaque situation, I don’t understand it".
According to the former British driver, Briatore might have been hired by Alpine to front difficult decisions, such as managing the relationship with Renault:
"Maybe they need someone like Flavio, who makes these decisions for them and washes his hands of the whole thorny issue of whether they are a Renault team or what they are. He doesn’t care about conventions and rules, obviously, and that’s why he got into trouble".
For his part, Briatore responds caustically to Hill and his critics with a laconic:
"Fuck off".
The Italian manager also denies that his entry into the team foreshadows a future return to the role of team principal:
"We already have a team principal, we have Bruno [Famin], there are no problems. It’s my job to report what I observe and then ensure the best performance of the team. I’m not going to change tires or drive the car; I just want to be competitive. We’ll be ready in two years".
He adds:
"I’ve been talking for months with President Luca De Meo, whom I respect and consider one of the great Italian talents in Formula 1 and business. It’s an honor for me to become his advisor. We agreed on the goals".
Regarding a possible sale of the team, Flavio Briatore denies such an option:
"I deny it 100%. No decision and no negotiations are underway. We are evaluating all opportunities to become competitive again".
Speaking about Scuderia Ferrari, the Italian manager says:
"Excluding Canada, they are in the game. And Ferrari winning is good for everyone. Hamilton at Maranello? I’m very convinced. It would be a great marketing operation. But not only that: Lewis is someone like Alonso; he can greatly help Ferrari with his experience. Although I feel sorry for Sainz Jr., a consistent driver".
Talking specifically about Carlos Sainz Jr., Mercedes Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff confirms that there was contact between them, but any agreement was nipped in the bud:
"We had talks with Carlos Sainz Jr., discussing the conditions of a possible deal. But we came to the decision that we wouldn’t confirm our choice before the fall. We wanted to leave the matter open, both to see what happened with Max, but also to observe how Andrea Kimi Antonelli evolved. And this meant a possible wait until September, October, or even November. So, with Sainz, we decided that it was better for them to act differently".
Speaking instead about the upcoming Grand Prix, the Austrian manager says:
"We knew Barcelona would be a good measure of our recent progress. The team has worked hard to improve the W15 at circuits with a wide corner speed range, like Barcelona. Those incremental gains helped us build on the momentum from Montreal. Although we didn't have the ultimate pace to compete for the win, it was encouraging to be in the mix. Lewis scored a well-deserved podium and George managed his final stint well to take P4. We came away from the weekend with solid points but we know there is more work to do to be in with a realistic chance of fighting for victories. That work is ongoing, and we are on a positive trajectory. We head to Austria looking to continue that positive progress. It is a very different circuit to last weekend. There is plenty of low to mid-speed content, punctuated by some longer straights. That will provide another challenge and reference point for our car. The group at the front of the field is tightly packed and we will have to be at our best to challenge for the podium once again".
Looking ahead to the next Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner admits that for some time now, Lando Norris has been the driver to watch to hope to surpass and win. This detail will undoubtedly be significant in Austria as well:
"I think it’s a tight race between us; the margins are narrow. Max and Lando had an 18-second advantage over the rest of the field. In the end, we managed to win, but since Miami, Lando has probably been the reference, and we will have to be at the top of our game to win. It’s a tough race, but we keep winning. McLaren is doing a great job; Ferrari is not far, and Mercedes is improving, but we continue to stay ahead. We have won a lot, but we haven’t lost the ability to deliver results at crucial moments and to do everything right on race day: we have enormous depth in the team and great stability".
In Austria, Lando Norris is called to redemption, after the British driver finished the previous Grand Prix, that of Spain, in second place, despite starting from pole position:
"I'm excited for the Austrian Grand Prix. It's a really fun track to drive, and I have some great memories from over the years, so I am looking forward to getting out there. The fans are always enthusiastic and create a great atmosphere. The car is in a great spot, we'll take what we learned from Spain and use it to keep pushing. We're not focused on setting specific targets, our aim is to keep improving what we do each weekend and we let the results speak for themselves. Let's see what we can do".
Oscar Piastri is also called upon to redeem himself after some less-than-stellar races:
"I can't wait to get to Austria and hit the ground running. I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car on Friday and working hard with the engineers to start the weekend on the front foot. I was aiming for far more in Barcelona but coming away with points from a frustrating one keeps things ticking over. Credit to the team for the job they are consistently doing and hopefully we can all keep the momentum going".
Andrea Stella, Team Principal McLaren Racing, concludes:
"We head to Austria for the second race in a busy triple header, having left Spain with another strong result for the team. While we've had many positive results this season, Red Bull Ring is one of the shortest circuits on the calendar, so we expect it to be very close this weekend. We remain focused in our efforts to keep improving and consistently fight the top teams around us".
After the victories in Canada and Spain, Max Verstappen is preparing to race at the home event for Red Bull Racing in Austria, where the Sprint Race format will be reintroduced, a factor that could complicate the weekend for the team from Milton Keynes.
"This weekend the Sprint Race returns, a hectic format that is always very challenging for us. It’s very important to get the car set up right from the start, especially because in Qualifying everyone is very close. The track allows for many overtakes, so I’m sure it will be an exciting weekend. The team performed well here last year, so I hope to make the fans proud again this weekend and bring home another victory".
Sergio Perez has been going through a very difficult period. The Mexican driver obviously hopes to reverse the trend very quickly, starting from the next Austrian Grand Prix:
"I had a difficult weekend in Spain, but we also learned some lessons from what happened. I struggled with the car’s balance throughout the weekend. We couldn’t get the car into an ideal window for Qualifying and the Race, and the grid penalty didn’t help either. This weekend in Austria, we have everything we need to have a cleaner weekend. The team and I know where we need to improve. My task is to get the most out of the car".
On Thursday, June 27, 2024, Aston Martin Aramco and Lance Stroll are delighted to confirm a contract extension that will see Lance race into the new era of F1 regulations. Lance has played an important role in the Aston Martin project since he first joined the Silverstone-based team in 2019. He has now completed more than 150 F1 starts, with three podiums to his name. The extension gives the team an unchanged line-up for a third consecutive season bringing valuable continuity. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team driver, said:
"I'm super happy to have committed to staying with the team for 2025 and beyond. It's amazing to see how far we've come in the last five years; we've grown so much as a team and there's still so much more to look forward to".
Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, says:
"We are delighted to confirm Lance's future with Aston Martin Aramco. He has played a key role in building this team. His technical feedback, alongside his committed simulator work, has helped contribute to the continuous development of the car each season. The consistency and stability of both Lance and Fernando remaining with our team is a great platform to continue to realise our ambitions. We look forward to creating some more incredible memories and achieving further success together".
In the meantime BWT Alpine F1 Team is delighted to confirm that Pierre Gasly has committed to a long-term contract with the team. The agreement, an extension to his current contract, will take Pierre into the 2025 season and beyond. The Frenchman is in his second season with BWT Alpine F1 Team and, with 140 race starts in Formula 1, is a driver with vast experience to take the team to the next level long-term. In his 32 starts with the team, Pierre has amassed 67 points and brought home two pieces of silverware, which includes third place in the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Race and then a memorable third place in the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The team will announce Pierre's team-mate for the 2025 season in due course. Pierre Gasly says:
"I feel very much at home at this great team. I enjoy being a real part of both the Formula 1 project and the wider Alpine Cars vision. I've been officially here for over 18 months and it has always been the plan to build a long-term project with the Team. While on-track it's been a challenging season so far, I remain faithful to the project and I am not going anywhere. I am happy with the changes made, the hard work, and the direction the team is taking. There is a lot of potential in this team's personnel and resources. I'm excited for what is to come in the future and right now I'm focusing on the everyday details that we are putting in to improve our performances".
And Bruno Famin, Team Principal Alpine, concludes:
"The extension of Pierre's contract with the team is very pleasing. He is a driver with huge experience in Formula 1 and continues to show huge amounts of potential on-track. For Alpine as a brand, he is a great ambassador and we therefore look forward to continuing our collaboration. While this is important for our future, we do have to keep our eyes close to what is coming and that is focusing on improving our current package. We have high ambitions this current season and we will work tirelessly to achieve those things. We will take our time in deciding Pierre's team-mate and we are excited with the options we have on the table".
Scuderia Ferrari arrives at the Austrian Grand Prix following a disappointing Spanish outing, during which the team from Maranello had to address internal discussions between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. The public has been questioning the relationship between the two drivers in recent days. However, Charles Leclerc is keen to emphasize that the relationship between them is absolutely calm:
"I think the problem always seems much bigger when viewed from the outside, but we have known each other so well for so many years that we know that after the race there is tension. In the heat of the moment, we are both angry with each other, but then we talk and everything goes back to normal. I am not worried at all about our relationship. This has happened before and it might not be the last time, but I am not worried because we talk it over and resolve everything".
Carlos Sainz Jr. also wants to say that:
"There has never been an issue in four years, and there shouldn’t be one now. There have always been scenarios where we race together in twenty-two races a year, sharing the same track every weekend and often starting side by side. For me, it’s good news for the team because it means all the drivers are there, unlike other teams that don’t have the same competitiveness between their drivers, leading to situations like the one in Barcelona where we disagreed on certain things. We have always been two drivers who talk things out to resolve problems well, and it will always be that way".
After resolving the discussions with Leclerc, Sainz Jr. still faces uncertainties about his future, especially with offers from Alpine, Audi, and Williams. However, the Spanish driver does not want to make hasty decisions:
"It doesn’t change anything, it’s just a matter of having all the options in front of me to sit down with my team at a different time from now with three consecutive races to make an important decision for my life. It’s taking a bit more time because these are good options for me, and I want to make the right decision without rushing or feeling that once I’ve made it, I might have wished I waited to consider other options more calmly. I want to give myself the necessary time".
Regarding the technical aspect, the Spanish driver speaks about what happened during the Spanish Grand Prix:
"I think Barcelona is a difficult track for us, it has been in the past, and last year it was our worst track in terms of performance. I really hope we won’t be at that level here in Austria or at Silverstone. I think, or at least hope, that we will be closer here. I believe the car should be a bit more suited to this track’s characteristics. It wasn’t a good surprise for the team and us, because we expected to be at least closer to pole position time, but it just shows us how we need to improve in these long and combined high-speed corners. We need to make a step forward throughout the year and keep improving in these areas".
The Ferrari SF-24 continues to have issues in high-speed corners:
"I think it remains a weakness of the car because I don’t really like the potential bouncing we have in the corner. So, even if it doesn’t affect us in terms of corner speed, we can still do a high-speed corner almost like a McLaren or a Red Bull, but I don’t like the effect this bouncing has on the tire in a qualifying lap and in the race. I still think it’s a potentially minor weakness compared to the combination of medium-low speeds, but it still needs to be addressed, considering this is the third year of these regulations and we are still struggling with this small bounce".
He adds:
"Montmeló was not our best weekend, but this was the track where we struggled the most last year too: the hope is that it’s just a negative track for us and that there will be other tracks where we will be more competitive. It’s about the nature of the track, which has several high-speed corners, and it seems we are always in trouble in these cases. We were also in trouble in China and Suzuka. I remember that Austria was not a problem due to the track’s characteristics, so I believe we will be more competitive thanks to the type of corners".
Charles Leclerc, like his teammate, points out the same issues present on the SF-24:
"We struggle in high-speed sections, but let’s see where we are in Austria. We struggled a bit more than I expected, and it’s a problem we need to address as quickly as possible. In Formula 1, though, it’s not possible to solve these issues so quickly. The first tough race of the season was in Shanghai, where we saw some things, and we need to focus on that. Before making these updates on a specific problem, we need some time and unfortunately, in a race, even if the season is twenty-four races long, we need to come back as quickly as possible. We are losing precious points compared to our competitors".
Awaiting the Austrian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc remains convinced that what happened in Spain was an issue related to the track’s nature:
"In Canada, it was pretty clear what happened, and I think the next time we have a race in those conditions we will do better because we have understood something about the car. It’s a bit too early to say what the problems were in Spain, but my best guess is that the track characteristics did not suit our car. What I hope is to get back on track from Austria onwards".
Meanwhile, Frederic Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, specifies:
"The updates introduced in the last race worked as expected, but we have seen that our rivals are not sitting idle and how, at this moment, there are four teams within less than 0.3s. As a team - drivers included - we need to make a step to ensure we don’t leave any opportunity on the table, whether it’s in qualifying, which is key with such fierce and close competition, or in race execution: in Austria, I want to see a change of pace. Now we go to Austria, a track that is completed in just over a minute, where these already small gaps will become even narrower. We need to focus a lot on ourselves because in Spielberg every detail will make the difference and the preparation work done in Maranello will be crucial as with the return of the Sprint format, we will only have one free practice session before going into qualifying".
On the eve of the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, always a prominent figure, admits that recently McLaren Racing and Lando Norris have become very dangerous rivals, making it challenging to regularly counter them:
"McLaren is currently very solid. They are strong everywhere. We are pushing to the maximum to continue improving. That’s what we will try to do now and in the next races, which I believe are very important to understand where we stand".
Recently, Mercedes executives have publicly expressed their interest in signing Max Verstappen. However, Verstappen continues to affirm his loyalty to the Red Bull Racing project, even though he explicitly mentions only 2025, despite his contract being valid until the end of 2028:
"Leaving Red Bull if it no longer has the best car? I don’t think Formula 1 works that way. You can’t just suddenly say, Goodbye, guys. It doesn’t work like that. I have a long contract with the team, and I am very happy with the position I’m in. As I said before, we are already focusing on next year and the things we can implement on the car. So, I think this should say enough about where I will be driving next year".
The Austrian Grand Prix could be the perfect opportunity for Sergio Perez to redeem himself after the last four races of the season, which have been particularly disappointing for the Mexican driver both in qualifying and in the race:
"I think Barcelona was a very peculiar weekend. We got a bit lost with the timing and the setup, and we encountered issues in qualifying and the race that were very different from what we were experiencing. I believe that in Barcelona, we understood many things we needed to address, and in the end, as I said, we found very different problems in qualifying and the race compared to the rest of the weekend".
However, there have also been insights to improve starting from the Austrian Grand Prix:
"I believe that overall there were some positive aspects because it was a weekend where we understood many things. We haven’t had a proper race in the last two weekends, so I think we learned a lot in Barcelona in this regard, and I believe the main thing for us is just to maximize our package because, as we’ve seen with other drivers, if you’re not able to put everything together, the difference is enormous. I think we’re working diligently with the team to try to make each weekend better and more consistent. I know there will be good weekends, others more negative, but I believe we are on the right track because, even though I finished eighth last weekend, I think the margins were extremely tight, and we are very calm about it".
In conclusion, Williams Racing is pleased to announce the recruitment of five highly-experienced Formula 1 technical leaders and an outstanding new Chief Information and Analytics Officer as the team continues to strengthen and transform in pursuit of success. The exceptional new technical hires have worked on cars and powertrains that have secured 12 Constructors' World Championships and 13 Drivers' World Championships, and have more than 102 years of combined experience in the sport. Our new Chief Information and Analytics Officer (CIAO) brings unrivalled expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Data and has worked on projects to maximise simulation capabilities with F1 teams. They add to the Championship-winning pedigree of Team Principal James Vowles and Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry, and are a further demonstration of the long-term investment being made on and off track by owners Dorilton Capital in pursuit of our mission to evolve and win further world titles. Matt Harman will join Williams as Design Director, starting after the summer shutdown. Most recently Technical Director at Alpine, Matt has also worked at Renault, Mercedes and Mercedes' powertrains division over a 24-year career in F1. He worked on five Constructors' and Drivers' title-winning cars at Mercedes, in addition to the powertrains that took Lewis Hamilton to his first Drivers' title with McLaren and Jenson Button's Championship-winning Brawn. Fabrice Moncade joins the team as Chief Engineer, Computing Science on July 1. Formerly Head of Performance Analytics at Ferrari, he has pioneered modern-day lap simulation in F1 and worked on two title-winning cars while at Mercedes.
He has also worked at McLaren, Sauber and BMW Sauber during his 17 years in the sport. Juan Molina arrives as Chief Aerodynamicist and starts on July 15. Previously Principal Aerodynamicist at Haas, he won three championship doubles during a spell with Red Bull and will report to Adam Kenyon who was promoted to Head of Aerodynamics in April. Steve Winstanley is appointed Chief Engineer, Composites and Structures to lead and transform the structures department within the design office. He brings 22 years of F1 experience including 14 at Red Bull, where he was involved in six double-Championship-winning campaigns. Richard Frith will also join Williams in 2025 as Head of Performance Systems. Formerly Head of Performance at Alpine, Richard has 25 years of experience in the sport including spells with Jordan, Force India, Sauber, Marussia and McLaren. All five will form part of the technical team being led by Pat Fry, who joined Williams in November. They are among 26 new recruits from other F1 teams who will join Williams over the course of the year, including several from Mercedes and Ferrari, four from Red Bull and 10 from Alpine. There has been a particular focus on strengthening the aerodynamics team, with 11 hires, and the design office with 13. And they will be joined by Sorin Cheran, who arrives at Williams as CIAO after a 17-year career with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. He specialises in Artificial Intelligence and innovation and will lead a transformation of how the team acquires, stores, indexes and uses data to build a best-in-class technology operation.
Their recruitment follows the recent announcement that Alex Albon has committed his future to Williams with a multi-year contract extension, and as the team prepares to enter the new F1 regulations era in 2026 with a long-term Mercedes power unit supply in place. James Vowles, Team Principal Williams Racing, says:
"I am delighted to welcome these six incredible people to Williams. We are on a mission to fight our way back to the front and being able to attract experienced, Championship-winning talent from other teams demonstrates huge belief in the journey we are on. Williams is investing in what it takes to win, and this is just the start as we prepare to welcome more new faces from across the grid in the months ahead".
Pat Fry, Chief Technical Officer Williams, concludes:
"Williams Racing has bold ambitions and huge momentum, and these exceptional recruits show this is a project people want to be part of. We are adding strength in depth to the enormous talent already at Grove as we build for the future".
On Friday, June 28, 2024, Max Verstappen set the fastest time during the first and only practice session. The work of the Dutch driver for Red Bull Racing was even slowed down due to an engine failure that occurred at the first corner. The race director was therefore forced to display the red flag to stop the session and allow the driver to return to the pits. When the session resumed, the Anglo-Austrian car managed to restart. Following him were Oscar Piastri and the two Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. Lewis Hamilton finished the practice in eighth place but impressed in the race simulation, which was his main focus during the practice session. Lando Norris, the other McLaren driver, only managed the thirteenth fastest time due to a driving error that took him onto the gravel during his fast lap attempt. A few hours later, when the stewards turned on the green lights to start SQ1, the drivers took to the track three minutes after the session began. Lewis Hamilton set the benchmark time, which was canceled due to going off track. It was George Russell's turn to take the lead in the time rankings, setting a lap of 1'05"764. Oscar Piastri was second until Carlos Sainz Jr. crossed the finish line; Kevin Magnussen climbed to fourth place before Lando Norris moved into third with the best third sector overall. Shortly after, Max Verstappen bettered George Russell's time with a lap of 1'05"690, while Sergio Pérez was 0.5s off his teammate's time. Oscar Piastri improved to move up to sixth place, while Lewis Hamilton, with his second fast lap, was only eleventh. Sergio Pérez did better, climbing to eighth place. In the final phase of the session, Yuki Tsunoda spun at the penultimate corner, but it did not hinder other drivers.
Failing to advance to the second phase were Ricciardo, Hülkenberg, Bottas, Albon, and Zhou. In SQ2, Max Verstappen immediately set the pace with a lap of 1'05"186, with Sergio Pérez still 0.5s behind. Lando Norris beat the Mexican driver's time, while Carlos Sainz Jr. finished in fourth place. The times of their respective teammates were better: Charles Leclerc climbed to third, and Oscar Piastri to second. However, the two Mercedes seemed to be fast in this phase, with Lewis Hamilton in fifth and George Russell moving to second in the time rankings. The top eight drivers were within less than 0.5s. Lance Stroll set the ninth time, soon beaten by Esteban Ocon, while Yuki Tsunoda was only eleventh, and Pierre Gasly was just behind his teammate. Fernando Alonso was twelfth, behind Lance Stroll. Kevin Magnussen set the best first sector overall but finished his lap in eleventh place. Failing to advance to the decisive phase, besides the Danish driver, were the two Aston Martins, Tsunoda, and Sargeant. During SQ3, it took several minutes before any drivers took to the track. The first to attempt setting a valid time were the Mercedes drivers, with just three minutes remaining in the qualifying session. A technical problem on Charles Leclerc's car caused the engine to shut down: the Monegasque driver had to let other cars pass before rejoining the track, but he was significantly delayed and could not start his flying lap before the checkered flag was displayed.
The Monegasque driver ended the qualifying session without setting a valid time. Lewis Hamilton finished his final attempt with a lap of 1'05"270, beaten by George Russell's 1'05"054. Then the two McLaren drivers crossed the finish line, with Lando Norris taking the provisional pole position with a lap of 1'04"799; only Max Verstappen managed to go faster, albeit by a few thousandths of a second, and secured the pole position with a lap of 1'04"686. Sprint Qualifying ends - once again - in favor of Max Verstappen, who secures pole position. In a very tight qualifying session, also influenced by slipstream management, the reigning World Champion leads ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
"I love being here in front of my fans, at my home Grand Prix. So far it’s been a good day, I enjoyed driving the car, we quickly found a good balance. This put me in the right frame of mind for qualifying, and everything went well. There’s still a lot of work to do, but I’m happy with today. Is Norris a rival? We’ll find out tomorrow. I’m not stressed, I just want to enjoy the evening now".
On Thursday, June 13, 2024, the owners of the Red Bull Ring released a statement announcing the drivers and cars that would participate in the usual Legends Parade, an exhibition entertaining the crowd during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend since 2014. Among the drivers announced was Jos Verstappen, who was supposed to drive the RB8 model. However, Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner expressed disappointment over Jos Verstappen's presence, having had a falling out with him earlier in the season, and decided to exclude him from the parade. Informed of this decision, the former Dutch driver did not take it well:
"In recent days, I’ve heard from several sources that Christian Horner did everything to prevent me from driving, ensuring nothing was signed. So I thought: why didn’t they tell me to my face? It shouldn’t be like this; I find it very disappointing. There were supposed to be recordings, even with a drone. But Horner wanted me not to be filmed. Can you be more childish than this? I’m completely done with him. It feels like kindergarten. I could have driven on the track, but I refused. I find the whole incident very childish and believe it speaks volumes about Horner’s behavior".
This situation only fuels the hopes of Toto Wolff, who always hopes to bring Max Verstappen to Mercedes:
"Verstappen in Red Bull in 2025? Did he really say that? He didn’t say it clearly, but I wasn’t there. We want to keep the possibility open as long as possible. If we show we have a fast car, then all the fast drivers will want to drive for us".
However, Christian Horner responds to this:
"Max joined the team when he was very young and has grown a lot since then. Despite the distractions, we have still won 77% of the races this year. You can’t control everything, not even relationships with the drivers’ fathers. Yesterday Max was pretty clear in the press conference (he said he wanted to stay at Red Bull, ed.). I think Wolff’s tactic is simply a distraction. If he really wants a Verstappen for next year, I think Jos is available".
Regarding the Mercedes cars' performance at the end of Sprint Qualifying, Toto Wolff admits, dejectedly:
"It went worse than our expectations. Max was very fast in corners 7-8-9. We were expecting second or third place, so with fourth and sixth, everything went worse than our expectations. This is a circuit where Red Bull and Max are very strong, perhaps where they are fastest, so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow in qualifying. We also have to consider that 12 °C more of asphalt can change everything".
And he concludes;
"We’ve seen that with the flat bottom, it touches a lot, but it’s always a necessity to find the right load balance. I think we’ll change a bit for tomorrow, but I don’t know. It’s about details, 1 millimeter higher or lower, and it’s difficult to find the right setup".
However, George Russell seems to have a different perspective, saying he is happy with his car's performance at the end of the qualifying session for the Sprint Race:
"The Soft tyre felt very good, and my lap felt strong. I was therefore a little surprised at the gap to P1, but I likely pushed too hard on the out lap. That potentially took a little of the peak grip away from the tyre. From in the car, it felt like the best lap of the session, so that is probably the explanation for why we dropped a little bit further back. P4 is still a decent place to be starting for the Sprint tomorrow. We are in the fight for the podium. Our focus is of course on Qualifying and the Grand Prix, but this is just another validation that we are on the right track and in the mix near the front".
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, returns to being unhappy with the behavior of his car, which for the umpteenth time did not respond to his demands during Sprint Qualifying:
"I had a difficult Sprint Qualifying today. Practice went well and the car felt good. I don't think we had the pace to fight for pole position for the Sprint, but we likely had more speed than we showed. I wasn't happy with any of my laps and Sprint Qualifying was quite a messy session overall. The Sprint race tomorrow will be challenging. It's not easy to overtake around here and starting P6 makes it difficult for us. If it's not an eventful race, then I don't think we will be able to move forward too many places. Nevertheless, we will still be giving it our all. Our main focus though is of course on Qualifying later in the afternoon and Sunday's race".
Carlos Sainz Jr.'s fifth place and Charles Leclerc's tenth place at the end of the Sprint Qualifying are certainly not the best prelude to a comeback for Scuderia Ferrari. The Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari HP, Frédéric Vasseur, admitted, disconsolate, when discussing what happened to the Monegasque driver's car:
"We engaged anti-stall in the pit lane, and the procedure took a bit long. We were queued up, and Charles had to move the car to the right side, which canceled the procedure. The performance itself was a bit bad, but we need to check the data".
And he adds:
"We were at least fighting with Mercedes and McLaren, but I’m a bit disappointed to have one car in tenth and the other in fifth when in previous sessions we were third or fourth, at most fourth or fifth, so it’s disappointing".
The SF-24 also experienced bouncing issues, a problem already encountered at the Montmeló circuit in Spain:
"Undoubtedly, bouncing never helps, and if it’s there, it needs to be fixed. However, in these types of corners and with these curbs, I’m not sure ours suffers the most compared to other cars. In any case, it needs to be fixed because it definitely costs us a lot of time. You can't quantify how much time it loses in a lap: there was the same phenomenon in Barcelona, but it was also partly due to the overheating of the tires. The strategy for tomorrow is to push because there are no pit stops, and I don’t think we even have a choice for the compound. The only strategy will be to go fast and get back to points".
An unexpected shutdown of the power unit, just as he was entering the track to make his lap, prevented Charles Leclerc from qualifying during Q3. The Monegasque driver will therefore be forced to start from P10:
"I don’t know what happened; I was in the pit lane, and anti-stall was triggered, and then everything turned off. The team told me we’d talk about it when I get back to the pits, but clearly, I just got out of the car and I’m here, so I don’t know. We weren’t extremely strong, but we could have done better than tenth place, so this result is a bit disappointing. We’ll see what happened and tomorrow try to have a good Sprint race and get back to the front".
Carlos Sainz Jr., fifth at the end of the Sprint Qualifying, cannot be happy with the result compared to expectations, which were certainly higher and the 0.5s gap from Max Verstappen:
"I did a decent qualifying, with three very clean laps. Unfortunately, since FP1, we’ve noticed that with the soft tires, we’re a bit weaker compared to the mediums and hards. When we put the softs on for SQ3, from a possible top-3, we dropped to fifth position. But the same happened in FP1, where we were sixth: there’s something to analyze. Unfortunately, at the moment, this is the situation we are in, more or less. I hope to make some progress. I start from the fifth position, on the clean side of the grid. Tomorrow we’ll try to get as many points as possible. Then we have another qualifying where we still need to do some fine-tuning on the car".
The problem that Charles Leclerc suffered in Sprint Qualifying certainly hurt the Monegasque driver. It is, however, a problem that could have been avoided, as Helmut Marko, external consultant for Red Bull Racing, points out:
"It's not wise. Everyone thinks the track is improving and it's getting a second faster. It's thousandths at best. Then they come onto the track and everyone has to make a much slower out lap. So you don't get anything done".
For Fernando Alonso, the Sprint Qualifying was also not positive, as the Spanish driver did not even manage to enter Q3.
"It was very tight out there as we expected. I was quite happy with my laps in Sprint Qualifying and I felt we extracted the maximum lap-time in both SQ1 and SQ2. Sadly, it wasn't enough to make it into SQ3 today. I think it will be very difficult to score any points tomorrow, but we will take as much information from the Sprint race as possible".
Lando Norris, on the other hand, is among the happiest drivers. His McLaren again showed high performance, and the British driver managed to qualify in second place:
"Overall, a good Quali today, P2 is pretty strong. It was close but it has been all year. Possibly not my tidiest Qualifying session, but I managed to pull it out at the end and produce a nice lap. P2 for tomorrow's Sprint is a positive start to the weekend, we'll keep pushing on from here".
Qualifying was also more than positive for Oscar Piastri, as the Australian McLaren driver qualified in third place:
"P3, not a bad effort today. We've got a couple of corners to tidy-up, but I'm happy to be able to qualify well for the Sprint. We're in a good spot for tomorrow and will work hard overnight ready for the fun to begin".
Andrea Stella, Team Principal McLaren Racing, concludes:
"It's been a tricky Sprint Qualifying session. It wasn't easy to put laps together and there was a bit of work to do to find the right position in the out laps. We needed to be very careful with traffic but, ultimately, the outcome is positive with P2 and P3 on the grid for the Sprint race. This is a position we can try and capitalise on and see if we can go for the win. At the same time, we once again can see how tight the field is at the front. There's really not much to pick between Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes, so we need to maximise the package, the driving, the execution and see what we can do tomorrow".
On Saturday, June 29, 2024, before the start of the Sprint Race, the suspension setup on Alexander Albon's car was modified under parc fermé conditions. The Thai driver for Williams was forced to start from the pit lane. Just before the Sprint Race began, the starting procedure was repeated due to the need to move a photographer seated in an incorrect position, resulting in the race being shortened by one lap. At the start, Max Verstappen maintained the lead, followed by the two McLaren drivers. During the first lap, Charles Leclerc overtook Sergio Pérez, while Carlos Sainz Jr. managed to pass George Russell. Subsequently, Lando Norris closed in on Max Verstappen and overtook him on lap 5 at turn 3. However, the Dutch driver for Red Bull Racing regained the lead at the next turn, allowing Oscar Piastri to take position over his teammate. The Australian driver could not stay in the slipstream of the Dutch driver but maintained a margin over Lando Norris. On lap 8, George Russell managed to get ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. again. However, the British driver for Mercedes could not pull away from the Spaniard, allowing Lewis Hamilton to close in on the two drivers ahead of him. No overtakes occurred in the final part of the race, and Max Verstappen won his tenth career Sprint Race. The Dutch driver for Red Bull Racing extended the record for the most wins by a single driver in the short race. For Verstappen, it was his fifth consecutive Sprint Race victory and his seventh in the last eight races. The Dutch driver, who led the short race for all its laps for the second time this season after the Miami Grand Prix, achieved his fourteenth podium in fifteen Sprint Races. Around him, everything is happening, but Max Verstappen remains the same: fast, dominant, unbeatable even behind the wheel of a single-seater - the RB20 - which is currently not the best car on the track.
"We started well, but once you can use the DRS, it's very difficult to get out of the zone. It took a few laps; I had some good battles, but when I managed to get out of the DRS zone, I did my race, and things got better. McLaren has two strong cars, so they were able to attack me. We had to fight to win the race. There are things we can do better for tomorrow. The race will be longer, and it will be interesting to see how it develops, also with tire management. Clipping a weak point? Yes, but it’s related to the DRS. Behind, using the DRS reduces it. When I pulled away, everything fell into place. Battle tomorrow? I’ll try to manage, but we’ll have to look at the data from the others as well".
He added:
"I didn't expect Lando to attack in turn 3. I was struggling with grip and clipping, without DRS, but with the slipstream, I then decided to counter-attack in turn 4. The McLarens really pushed me to the limit today. The rest of the weekend? It will be a tight fight".
Regarding the argument between Christian Horner and Jos Verstappen, what does the current World Champion think?
"This situation is not ideal; it could have been avoided. We are all mature enough to talk about it, even though I understand my father. It's not good for me, for my father, for Christian, or for the team. From my side, I try to focus on the car's performance. We will have to take a penalty soon due to an engine issue, so I’m trying to get as many points as possible".
Lando Norris missed another chance to take the victory. The British driver, after momentarily taking the lead in the Sprint Race, left a gap in Turn 4 and Max Verstappen took advantage of it to pass him. As if that were not enough, Oscar Piastri also took the position away from his teammate, relegating the British driver to third place overall:
"Oscar started third; he had the right to battle and do what he wanted. Disappointed only in myself? Yes, exactly. The race was good; I did half a good job, but the other half was missing. I know I wasn't up to par; I need to improve for the next race. The only mistake today was leaving the door open in turn 4; otherwise, the story could have been different. I know what I did well and what I didn't; I'll do my best to improve".
Yet, Lando does not seem annoyed or dissatisfied:
"Great race between us. Especially at the beginning with Max, I had fun. There are probably a few things I could have done better during the battle. The car’s pace was strong towards the end of the race. It was also a good duel with Oscar; I tried to overtake him, but I didn't have enough speed in the middle sector and lost out there. Great race and great points haul for McLaren. Good job by the team, congrats to Oscar for the result. More teamwork to beat Max? I don't think so; the pace was good but not enough to beat Max. We fought correctly; it wasn't easy to pass. He had something extra, but I’ll try again. When you get close, the tires heat up a lot, and it’s hard to use them. With Max, I took an opportunity that presented itself, but then I messed up and left the door open like an amateur. These are things that can be improved".
Oscar Piastri also confirmed that no instructions came from the team on how to manage the internal duel:
"I think I was patient and took the opportunity when it presented itself. Then yes, we were free to race. We both pushed a lot towards the end, but we didn't want to damage the cars, harm the team, or do anything crazy. Happy? Yes and no. I held a better position than my starting one, but in the second half of the race, I didn't have enough pace. I thought I had the chance to pass Max, but something was missing. There are things to examine for qualifying and then for tomorrow, but we brought home a good points haul compared to the other teams fighting with us. Overtake on Norris? I saw that they were battling in front, and I knew there would be an opportunity on the exit. I hoped to be ahead of both. I did my best: I wanted to pass Max the next lap, but I lacked the pace. I had to be patient".
Brake problems on the Ferrari SF-24 forced the drivers to do prolonged lift and coast. For this reason, Carlos Sainz Jr. could not threaten George Russell:
"I had the same brake problems. Especially in the first part of the race, it was very hot, and I had to lift off on the straight to cool the brakes. It's a problem we saw already in FP1; now we will try to fix it for tomorrow. We are at altitude, there's a lot of slipstream, you get the DRS, and they heat up a lot. It's something to work on. When I lost Piastri’s DRS due to the brakes, you could see that Mercedes had a bit more today, about a tenth. Russell passed me, and from then on, I tried to stay with him, but they had something extra. I still managed to keep Hamilton behind, which wasn't easy".
Charles Leclerc was not happy at the end of the Sprint Race. The Monegasque driver moved from tenth to seventh place but couldn't go further. It was impossible to climb higher after finding himself in the middle of the DRS train, with Carlos Sainz Jr. and the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell ahead of him:
"The problem was the DRS train. Being the fourth car in line, I had to do a lot of lift and coast to keep the temperatures in check, so it was a difficult race. We are not fast enough at the moment. This afternoon I want to try something: it could go the wrong way, but we have to try something. Now it’s been two or three races that we are struggling. Setup changes? I think so, I don't want to overhaul too much, but we need to intervene. At the moment, if we had a perfect qualifying, we would be fifth or fourth. That's not what we should aim for".
A few hours later, when the Race Director starts Q1, Max Verstappen sets the benchmark time, lapping in 1'06"054, while Sergio Pérez stops less than 0.2s behind his teammate. The World Champion's time is soon improved by Carlos Sainz Jr., who is then surpassed by Charles Leclerc. Moments later, Lando Norris manages to position himself between the two Ferrari drivers. Crossing the finish line, Oscar Piastri takes third place, just 0.017s behind the Monegasque driver. Shortly after, Yuki Tsunoda moves up to fourth place, stopping 0.028s from the top spot. Following them are Daniel Ricciardo in P8 and Kevin Magnussen in P7. The Mercedes drivers secure the sixth fastest time with Lewis Hamilton, while George Russell manages to go ahead of Charles Leclerc after lapping in 1’05"614. Back on track, Max Verstappen sets a new limit at 1’05"336; but once again, a Ferrari, this time driven by Carlos Sainz Jr., returns to first position. Shortly after, Charles Leclerc moves up to third place, while Fernando Alonso climbs to sixth. Soon after, Esteban Ocon improves the Spanish driver's limit, taking P6. Moments later, Daniel Ricciardo climbs the standings to seventh place, followed by Alexander Albon. Yuki Tsunoda then re-enters at eighth place, but his time is canceled for exceeding track limits. Oscar Piastri completes his second attempt, stopping 0.048s behind Carlos Sainz Jr., while Lando Norris climbs to fourth place.
With less than 4 minutes remaining in the session, all drivers are within less than a second. In the final run, Pierre Gasly sets the sixth-fastest time, but Lewis Hamilton quickly beats it. Shortly after, George Russell positions himself between the two, while Nico Hülkenberg sets the ninth-fastest time; Kevin Magnussen does better, moving up to fifth place. Moments later, Daniel Ricciardo manages to get back into the top 10, as does the other Racing Bulls driver, Yuki Tsunoda. Q1 concludes with the elimination of Albon, Stroll, Bottas, Sargeant, and Zhou. The Thai Williams driver, first among those not qualifying for Q2, finishes just 0.473s behind Carlos Sainz Jr. In Q2, Esteban Ocon sets a time of 1'05"582, while Pierre Gasly stops 0.075s behind his teammate. Carlos Sainz Jr. is third, but with used tires. Shortly after, Charles Leclerc sets the fastest time, lapping in 1'05"532. Max Verstappen once again shakes up the time standings, completing his first attempt in 1’04"577. Yuki Tsunoda moves up to second place soon after, but holds the position for a short time, as Lewis Hamilton manages to go ahead of the Japanese driver. George Russell is the only driver able to get close to Max Verstappen, remaining still 0.5s behind. Shortly after, Daniel Ricciardo slots in between Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda, while Oscar Piastri climbs to third place, behind the two Mercedes drivers, ahead of Lando Norris. Already under investigation in Q1 for not respecting his position when exiting the pits, Nico Hülkenberg forces his way into the fast lane in front of Sergio Pérez.
Subsequently, Kevin Magnussen places twelfth, while Esteban Ocon is seventh. With new tires, Carlos Sainz Jr. climbs to second place, 0.4s behind Max Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc is sixth. In the final run, Nico Hülkenberg climbs to ninth place, while Fernando Alonso fails to improve his performance, remaining fifteenth, and Daniel Ricciardo does not enter the top ten, finishing eleventh, 0.015s behind Esteban Ocon. At the end of Q2, the eliminated drivers are Ricciardo, Magnussen, Gasly, Tsunoda, and Albon. In the decisive phase, the Mercedes drivers are the last to enter the track, with Lewis Hamilton dragging the car’s external exhaust tube and the jack for raising the car. Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, Charles Leclerc, and Sergio Pérez perform the first flying lap with used tires. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen laps in 1’04”426, while Lando Norris stops 0.3s behind the Dutch driver. Oscar Piastri is 0.6s behind, while Carlos Sainz Jr. remains 0.8s back. Charles Leclerc is 0.6s behind, but the Monegasque driver uses used tires. Sergio Pérez is 1s off the World Champion's time. Shortly after, George Russell climbs to third place, while Lewis Hamilton does not go beyond sixth place. With the second attempt, the World Champion improves his time to 1'04"314. Oscar Piastri also improves, moving up to second, 0.472s behind; the Australian driver is then surpassed by Lando Norris, while Charles Leclerc ruins his second attempt with an off-track at the penultimate corner (overdriving). Shortly after, Oscar Piastri's time is canceled. Subsequently, the McLaren team lodges a protest against the qualifying results for the cancellation of the Australian driver Oscar Piastri's time during Q3, but this is rejected. After winning the Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint Race, Max Verstappen sets the fastest time during the qualifying session of the Austrian Grand Prix, and bids for victory number 62 in his career:
"Qualifying went really well. We adjusted the car based on the information we gathered during the Sprint. Also, it’s hotter than yesterday, which made it more challenging to drive, but the car felt better than yesterday. I could push more. I had fun. It feels great to be so competitive again, the team worked hard to make the car faster. This is a great show of strength, and we hope to demonstrate it in the race tomorrow. Lando next to me? It's always nice to race with him. But we'll see tomorrow; I don't want to think about it too much".
And he adds:
"It’s hard to say at the moment if there will be another close battle with Lando. This morning there was a close battle for a while, then we made some changes before qualifying, and I hope these adjustments will have their effects already tomorrow in the race, which is definitely the most important moment. We’ll see; in the last few races, McLaren has been very strong in the race, and we hope to have made a step forward".
The not extremely positive moment continues for Sergio Perez, who at least managed to enter Q3, but continues to not find the feeling with his car:
"I think we were making good progress from the start during the first session and in to sprint qualifying. We were in the mix today, but unfortunately couldn’t really show it especially in SQ3 with Esteban in front. He left a very big gap in front of him and in the end, we were going to the limit against time and I crossed the line with around a second difference. It’s a shame because we had promising pace today, but unfortunately we were not able to maximise on this because of circumstances out of our control. I’m confident that tomorrow will be a better day, and that we can make up some ground here at our home race".
Christian Horner, CEO and Team Principal Red Bull Racing, Speaking about both the Sprint Race result and the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying, he says:
"It was a positive day for us today and we saw three great laps put in from Max. Unfortunately, it was a disappointing run for Checo, especially after getting boxed in by Esteban, as there was no chance for him to get a representative lap. Going into SQ3 we thought he would be top five, which is a shame. However, this track is good for overtaking with a few good long straights. It’s going to be very hot tomorrow so that should throw up some challenges for all the cars on the grid. Overall, it was a great showing from Max but it’s getting close; McLaren were looking strong and Mercedes were edging closer too, so we are looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings".
Lando Norris continues to collect second places behind his friend-rival. The British driver still lacks something to be able to dominate, although he undoubtedly has a very good car, probably the best:
"Another good qualifying. Max was in a different league, much faster than us. Today, we couldn't do more. I'm happy. Conditions are tougher than yesterday, much more on the edge. It was harder to get the perfect lap, but we did well. Tomorrow? Looking at today's pace, it’s clear that it will be difficult to match the pace of Max and Red Bull. I’ll give it a shot and try to do better than this morning, that's for sure. Normally, we are stronger in the race than in qualifying, a lot can happen, we’ll see".
Just hours after securing a podium finish in the Sprint Race, Oscar Piastri was on the verge of reclaiming a position close to the front. However, the Australian driver was demoted to the fourth row, specifically to seventh place, for not respecting the track limits in turn 6:
"Obviously, it's annoying, and for me, it's incredibly frustrating. A lot of effort has gone into addressing track limits; they moved the white line, and somehow they left enough space between it and the gravel. I stayed on track; if I had gone onto the gravel, I would have ruined my lap and risked an accident, but it's very frustrating right now. I should have stayed within the white lines, but once you reach the gravel in that turn, I think everyone was happy because we didn't have to worry about staying within the white lines anymore and could push to the limit because, in the end, we'd end up in the gravel. And in the end, I got screwed".
Making a comeback will be challenging:
"We can make our way up, but it will be tough. It seems like Max is a step ahead of everyone. I would say the situation is very tight between us, Mercedes, and Ferrari, but the pace was good in the sprint, and there will be more strategy involved tomorrow. So yes, there are more opportunities. Hopefully, we can capitalize on some of them and make some progress towards the front. I have to say, I’m a bit shocked by Max’s time; his lap in Q2 was a bit of a reality check for everyone, and obviously, he managed to repeat it in Q3. The gap seemed to be a bit bigger in that session, for some reason".
Andrea Stella, Team Principal McLaren Racing, concludes:
"After a positive result in the Sprint where we scored a good haul of points, we needed to go again for the Qualifying session, which proved to be trickier than Sprint Quali yesterday. It was tough to put good laps together. Lando and Oscar did a very good job of maximising what was available. Oscar had his best lap in Q3 - which was worth a P3 starting position - deleted by what looks to be a questionable approach to enforcing track limits. Especially, in a place like Turn 6, in which track limits are enforced by the track configuration itself. It's a long race and we will do our best to finish higher than the current P7 spot on the grid. For Lando, P2 gives him real opportunities. We were competitive in the Sprint today and hopefully can find a way to go one better in tomorrow's Austrian Grand Prix".
Mercedes' improvement, added to Scuderia Ferrari's downgrade, allows George Russell to return among the top positions. the British driver will in fact start in third position:
"We can be pleased with P3, and a second row start for tomorrow's Grand Prix. The car has been feeling great which is fantastic to see given how hard the team has worked to bring our recent updates. We've got a real fight on our hands with those around us, in particular Ferrari. We look to still be slightly behind the McLarens and Verstappen, but things are moving in the right direction for us. We made a few adjustments, including the wing level, after the Sprint. That should help with our tyre degradation tomorrow. We were happy to sacrifice a little of our single lap performance to help our race tomorrow. Verstappen and Norris do seem to have that edge on us so realistically, our race is likely with those behind us. It's important that we don't compromise our race too much battling with those guys but let's see what happens. Either way, it is encouraging that this is the third race in a row that the team has qualified in the top-three".
After a small glimmer of light, glimpsed in Barcelona, in Austria Lewis Hamilton is back to face incredible misadventures, including a undercarriage that got stuck to the car and the pipe that captures the exhaust gas that got stuck and broke as the British driver exited the pits:
"The Sprint Race was a little frustrating. I was able to get close to the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr. but wasn't quite able to challenge him. We therefore made some changes to the car after the Sprint and that helped. We were able to improve its overall balance and that enabled us to make a step forward. My final lap in Q3 was decent although my middle sector was a little bit down. P5 was better than we managed in Sprint Qualifying though so overall, it was an OK day. The adjustments we made to the car should help us in tomorrow's race. I am therefore hopeful that we will have better race pace than we showed in today's Sprint. It will be important to get past the Sainz if we are to be in the fight for the podium. Let's see what we can do".
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO Mercedes, is all in all pleased with the progress the team has made, although the top is still a long way off:
"It has been a solid day for us all in all, but also showed us what we are currently lacking to be able to race right at the sharp end. George and Lewis delivered strong performances in the Sprint - as usual, it's not easy to make up places when everybody is on the same tyres, but George drove nicely to regain position on Sainz and finish P4, with Lewis just behind in P6. We made some set-up changes for Qualifying to try and give the drivers a better-balanced car for tomorrow's race. Like we saw yesterday, Max was untouchable in the high-speed corners in the second half of the lap, and the two McLarens remained annoyingly close but not quite within reach. Our drivers are separated by just six hundredths of a second - and there's another car between them. We have inherited a position from Piastri, which puts both cars on the clean side of the grid for the start, and we hope to be able to race hard from there to score as many points as possible. The Sprint showed it's very closely matched between the top four teams, and a tenth of pace at the right part of the stint can be decisive, so hopefully we can keep the positive momentum going in tomorrow's Grand Prix".
Charles Leclerc's long series of errors continues, as he compromises his qualifying performance in Austria by making two unforgivable mistakes and possibly damaging the floor of his car. The Monegasque driver admitted, via radio, speaking to his race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, that he pushed too hard:
"I tried too hard, I’m sorry. I should have aimed for a P3 or something around there".
Then, speaking with journalists, he added:
"I always want to give it a go, but today I overdid it and it didn’t pay off. I was very happy with turns 1 and 3 because I was two tenths faster than the previous lap, and I was very optimistic in those two corners. Unfortunately, in turn 4, I braked later but locked the front tires and went straight. In turn 6, I took a risk hoping everything would hold, but then I ended up in the gravel".
And he concludes:
"In turn 7, I kept pushing, and from that moment on, I knew it would be difficult. It’s a pity because the first run in Q3 on used tires was very good. The feeling was better, and the team did a good job, but today I made a mistake. I’m especially sorry after the last few races, which have been tough. I wanted to get a better result, which could have perhaps been a third place".
At the end of the Sprint Race, Charles Leclerc called for a setup change to try and be faster, but a lock-up in turn 4 and going off track beyond the curb in turn 9, likely damaging the floor, dashed all hopes for Scuderia Ferrari to qualify among the front rows. Nevertheless, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal HP, Frédéric Vasseur, is confident they can be in the fight for the podium in tomorrow's race:
"We made a small step forward compared to yesterday, but it's certainly not enough because we wanted to be further up the grid. Overall, I think we made progress; Charles was having a good lap before he had a lock-up in turn 4, but up to that point, he was much faster compared to his previous attempt. This means it was a good lap, but clearly, the goal is to complete the lap and not just be fast up to turn 4. However, we are in a better condition than yesterday. Today we saw that there is a sort of DRS train, and if you get into the right train, you can stay in it. I imagine there will be a lot of battles on the first lap tomorrow, and clearly, the race will be different from the Sprint because strategy comes into play, so you can also play at that level. However, it is clear that the DRS train has a huge effect. We're talking about almost 0.6s per lap, and this is the gap between the second and tenth positions. This means that if you get into the right train, you can stay in the DRS, which is very powerful. Undoubtedly, we have solved the issue related to brake temperatures, but I believe everyone had this problem this morning because once you get into the DRS train, everything overheats, and you have to manage the pace and lift and coast. The negative surprise yesterday was the bouncing, which went beyond expectations, and this damaged the drivers in high-speed corners between turns 7 and 10. Today we fixed things a bit, though it is not enough, but we are getting closer".
Carlos Sainz Jr.'s comment at the end of the qualifying session for the Austrian Grand Prix is succinct:
"I am satisfied, it was a positive qualifying session. We were always there, fighting among the top five. It definitely wasn’t easy because it was really close, but in the end, the decisive lap in Q3 was quite clean. I think we did our best. The Mercedes seems a bit ahead in zrace pace compared to qualifying, where we are just a few thousandths off, but it will be an equally close race with them tomorrow".
Aston Martin's bad moment continues. Fernando Alonso evidently failed to find the right set-up of the car, and failed to enter Q3:
"We were expecting a difficult Qualifying session here in Austria and unfortunately fifteenth position was the best we could achieve today. We made some changes to the car between the Sprint Race and Qualifying, and huge credit to the team who worked flat-out to get everything ready. However, we didn't get much reward for this hard work. Let's see what we can do tomorrow, we will stay focused and try our best to achieve the maximum result possible".
During the Austrian weekend, the Verstappen family continues to be the main protagonists. After the qualifying session, Jos Verstappen, speaking to journalists, hinted at a possible move for his son Max to Mercedes in 2025:
"There are a lot of things at play, I don’t want to say too much".
So, a move for Max to Mercedes cannot be ruled out?
"Exactly".
To conclude, the hints then shifted to the real target, Christian Horner:
"There are many things at play regarding him, but I don’t want to say more about this either".
This was a thinly veiled reference to the accusations of inappropriate behavior made by an employee against the Red Bull Racing Team Principal, which have not been addressed for months. However, this does not seem to concern Max or Helmut Marko, who says:
"The more chaos there is, the faster Max goes".
Referring to what is happening between Jos and Christian, he adds:
"These are childish gestures, even unnecessary. Let’s forget about it quickly".
Talking about the car driven by Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko says:
"The car was working well already on Friday. Max made the necessary adjustments with Gianpiero Lambiase, tuning the car for the race. This made the difference even more evident. Having almost half a second advantage on this track is equivalent to a second on a normal track. Max is in perfect form right now, and the car was spot on. This combination is unbeatable. Every lap he did in qualifying, I think, was good enough for pole. That says it all".
At the end of the qualifying session, Nico Hülkenberg was summoned by the stewards for entering the fast lane in the pit lane once in Q1 and once in Q2. In the first case, Haas received a reprimand, while in the second case, the German driver did not receive any penalties. Lewis Hamilton was summoned for leaving his pit box in an unsafe condition during Q3. Mercedes was fined 5.000 euros by the FIA. Yuki Tsunoda was also summoned by the stewards due to some comments made over the radio to his engineer during Q1. The incident occurred at the exit of the pit lane in Q1 when Guanyu Zhou moved into the fast lane right in front of the Japanese driver. This maneuver enraged Tsunoda, who insulted the Chinese driver over the radio, saying:
"These guys are fucking retarded".
After hearing from the driver and team representatives, Yuki Tsunoda was fined 4.000 euros, with 20.000 suspended on the condition that no similar incidents occur.
During the hearing, the driver apologized for the incident, stating that he did not realize he had used such offensive language since English is not his native language. The FIA's statement read:
"The Stewards appreciate the driver’s honesty but emphasize that the words used are offensive and entirely inappropriate. Using such words on a publicly available platform was misconduct as defined in Article 20 of the International Sporting Code. Considering the circumstances, the Stewards determine that a severe fine is necessary, but they also take into account the driver’s genuine remorse and his offer to make a public apology, and for these reasons, they decide to suspend part of the imposed fine".
Max Verstappen did not receive any penalties from the stewards for driving slowly after leaving the pit lane during Q3. On Sunday, June 30, 2024, before the start of the Austrian Grand Prix, the setup of Guanyu Zhou's car was modified under parc fermé conditions. The Chinese driver from the Stake F1 Team was forced to start from the pit lane. All drivers, except Zhou, who was on hard tires, started the race on medium tires. At the start, Max Verstappen maintained the lead, followed by Lando Norris and George Russell. Further back, Lewis Hamilton passed Carlos Sainz Jr. and Sergio Pérez. The seven-time World Champion attempted to overtake his teammate and succeeded, only to be overtaken again. Subsequently, Lewis Hamilton, fearing a penalty for passing Carlos Sainz Jr. at the start while going off track, yielded the position to the Spanish driver. On lap 6, Oscar Piastri overtook Sergio Pérez with a move on the outside of turn 6. After about twenty laps, Max Verstappen had a margin of 6 seconds over Lando Norris, 10.3 seconds over George Russell, 12.8 seconds over Carlos Sainz Jr., and 15.1 seconds over Lewis Hamilton. On lap 22, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Pérez pitted and changed tires, both switching to hard tires. On lap 23, Carlos Sainz Jr. also pitted, as did George Russell, who rejoined the track on medium tires. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris followed the same strategy, both pitting on lap 24 and switching to hard tires. Oscar Piastri pitted on lap 26.
The standings did not change, but Sergio Pérez received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The series of second stops for the top drivers began with George Russell on lap 47. On lap 48, it was Carlos Sainz Jr.'s turn, while Oscar Piastri passed Lewis Hamilton. On lap 51, Max Verstappen, slowed by a problem with the rear left tire nut, and Lando Norris pitted simultaneously. Shortly after, Oscar Piastri also pitted to change tires. Nonetheless, the standings did not change: Max Verstappen remained ahead of Lando Norris, George Russell, Carlos Sainz Jr., Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Nico Hülkenberg. Subsequently, Lando Norris gradually reduced the gap to Max Verstappen and began to close in on his rival. After several attempts, on lap 59, Lando Norris seemed poised to overtake the Dutch driver of Red Bull Racing, but the latter managed to regain the lead. Meanwhile, due to repeated track limit violations, the Race Director first warned Lando Norris that he could face a penalty, then decided to open an investigation. On lap 63, the Dutch driver made a small mistake, which did not help the British McLaren driver. The duel was decided on the following lap: Lando Norris drew alongside Max Verstappen in turn 3, but the two cars made contact. The British McLaren driver was forced to retire, while Max Verstappen returned to the pits with a damaged car. Both drivers reached the pits on three wheels. For the blocking maneuver against Lando Norris, Max Verstappen was penalized with a ten-second addition to his final race time. After being informed of the stewards' decision, Giampiero Lambiase communicated the penalty to Max Verstappen:
"Max, keep your head up. You've also been given a 10-second penalty for that incident with Lando, just in case they ask you about it after the race".
The Dutch driver's response was surprising:
"Of course. Yes, obviously. This is ridiculous. He was darting left and right, what did they expect me to do?"
After expressing his opinion, Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner joined the conversation, criticizing Lando Norris's behavior during the race:
"Yes, he didn't behave properly there, Max. It was really unfortunate, especially here. But you did your best".
Meanwhile, George Russell took the lead of the race, followed by Oscar Piastri, who had managed to pass Carlos Sainz Jr. Max Verstappen managed to finish the race in fifth place, while Nico Hülkenberg defended sixth place from Sergio Pérez's attacks. On the penultimate lap, Fernando Alonso took the fastest lap from the Dutch Red Bull Racing driver. George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix, achieving the second victory of his career after his success at the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix.
"Incredible! That's the only way I can describe it. We had a tough fight in the early stages to make sure we held on to P3. That would prove crucial at the end. I could see that Max and Lando were having a big battle. We were only just over 10 seconds behind the pair of them, which is really encouraging pace-wise. I knew there was a possibility that they could come together, even if it was only a slim chance. You have to be there at the end to pick up the pieces and that's exactly where we were. I am so proud to be back on the top step of the podium. The team have done an amazing job to get us closer to the fight at the front. We have made so many strides since the start of the season. The last few races have been great and hopefully there is more to come. It's no secret that Max and Lando are a little bit ahead of us at present but we're now consistently putting ourselves in that third position. It's an exciting time for us; we're riding a bit of a wave, and I can't wait to go to my home race at Silverstone next week and see what we can do there".
The British driver, thrilled with his victory which he also attributed to some luck, added a thought about his friend Lando Norris:
"Lando has been quite competitive in the last few races, which have been incredible for us. I believe he deserved the win in Canada and ended up third; today I was supposed to finish third and ended up winning, so I think those two things balance each other out. Sometimes things go in a strange but fun way. You have to be there to pick up the pieces, and the race isn't over until it's over. They say never give up, and I fought hard to get on the podium, and I was still happy with third place. Sometimes in this sport things go your way and sometimes they don't, today was my day".
George Russell would have been satisfied with a podium finish regardless, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr., showcasing the significant strides made by Mercedes:
"I would say the car is much more enjoyable to drive compared to the beginning of the season; now we have more aerodynamic load, and I think we're making huge strides forward, and it shows. We've made a big difference compared to Ferrari or Aston Martin; these are very positive moments for us".
However, the victory could have slipped away due to the sudden team radio from Toto Wolff at the moment when he communicated to his driver that he could win after the incident between Norris and Verstappen:
"I almost crashed when he yelled in my ear; it was very loud, but I think it shows the passion we all share. Obviously, it's been two tough years for us, so it's a great feeling to be back on the top step".
A team radio confirmed by Wolff himself, betrayed by the emotion of a victory in his home Grand Prix:
"I have to say it was one of the stupidest things I've ever done. I didn't look at all where I was, I just saw the two of them colliding. It's the first time it's happened to me in twelve years. He's braking flat out at 320 km/h, and I'm telling him the two have collided. I need to think before I speak".
Very sportingly, Lewis Hamilton congratulated his teammate, who after so much suffering and so many disappointments was finally able to regain a victory that looked like it would not come back so easily:
"Congratulations to George and the team. Everyone at Brackley and Brixworth really deserves this result. They have worked so hard to bring performance to the car and we are starting to get us closer and closer to the very front. We put in so much effort so to get a result like this is a well-deserved reward for everyone's efforts. From my side, it wasn't the cleanest weekend. I picked up some damage early on and that compromised my race, unfortunately. We now look ahead to Silverstone. It is always such a special weekend, and I can't wait to see all the fans there. It is a track that should hopefully suit us a little better than here in Austria so let's see what we can do".
At the end of the Austrian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO Mercedes, is literally over the moon. He, too, after much anticipation, can literally shout back into the ears of his drivers all his joy:
"It is a great feeling to get back on to the top step of the podium. It is a fantastic reward for the hard work and efforts of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth. We have taken good steps forward in recent races, and we are excited about what is still to come. We knew our outright pace today wouldn't quite be enough to challenge for victory. We therefore made sure we maximised our race and were able to pick up the pieces, should anything happen. We enjoyed some good fortune but that is motor racing. George did a fantastic job throughout the race to keep himself within touching distance of the front two. It was a third place on pace, and we would have been pleased with that as it highlights the progress we continue to make. We did think there could be a chance for more though with the battle ahead and we were able to take advantage of that. Lewis, meanwhile, was unfortunate today. Firstly, that he had to give the position back to the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr. and secondly, as he picked up floor damage which caused him a loss of performance. Nevertheless, he fought hard and drove a strong race to take a valuable P4. We now look forward to Silverstone next week. We are encouraged by our overall performance this weekend at a track that has not normally been a favourite for our cars. Our aim over the next few races is to continue to show progress and aim to get closer to the front".
Oscar Piastri expressed many regrets after the Austrian Grand Prix. Reflecting on what happened in qualifying, the Australian driver could have started the race from a better grid position and possibly could have won his first career Grand Prix:
"I'm a bit disappointed; second place is obviously a good result, but knowing what would happen afterward honestly hurts, especially because of yesterday's penalty. It's my fault, but no one else received that penalty. Seeing the evidence that led to the cancellation of my lap, it really burned me, watching the footage they used to show that my lap should be deleted. Today though, I had a fire inside me to achieve a good result, and I'm happy with the podium, even though it's hard not to think about the what ifs".
Carlos Sainz Jr. likely had some doubts about how the Grand Prix could have ended, especially considering the final result. Victory, which would have been his fourth career win, was within reach today:
"We battled with George for what we thought was a third place, which then turned into a first place for him, with Piastri coming up fast behind us in a McLaren that was flying today. I'm happy with the result because we didn't quite expect it, but not for the missed opportunities because for two weekends now we've ended up behind the Mercedes, with the first Ferrari finishing behind the first Mercedes. Today it was clear that George, as in the Sprint Race, had that extra tenth or half a tenth over us. I see the team is working flat out to arrive at Silverstone with a better package that can help us in the fast corners because we struggled this weekend. We're trying everything to get rid of the bouncing, but I'm confident the team will find a solution. I don't know how soon it will come, but I hope there will be something already at Silverstone because bouncing penalizes us in qualifying and in the race. Tomorrow afternoon I'll already be working in the simulator to see how we can improve at Silverstone, but for now, it's nice to get a podium after such a complicated weekend. I want to enjoy the podium and the opportunity to be a Ferrari driver in Formula 1 on the podium. Before, I thought about it because next year it won't be like this".
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari HP, expressed mixed feelings at the end of the race. He can be pleased with Carlos Sainz Jr.'s performance, returning to the podium. However, he is certainly not satisfied with Charles Leclerc's performance, who was penalized at the start of the Austrian Grand Prix due to contact with two preceding cars:
"It's a mixed feeling: it's a good result to be on the podium, and overall it's not a bad weekend in terms of the standings. However, there is some frustration because throughout the weekend we were in a position to do better and achieve a better result. We had that engine temperature issue with Charles during the Sprint Race. In qualifying and also in the race, there were a couple of opportunities to do a better job. Overall, it was still a good result for the team today. We need to be ambitious and look ahead; we need to develop what we have and do better than this weekend. It's true that we made a good step forward between Friday and Saturday morning, but it's not enough. We have to keep pushing to have both cars fighting for points. It would have been a much better weekend with both cars up front. Now we focus on Silverstone. It will be a normal weekend, which means we'll have two sessions on Friday to set up the car well. We need to improve and focus on future development based on what we achieved today. The last package brought good points in terms of aerodynamics, and we need to build on that. Charles' incident was a racing incident. He was on the same line as Perez and Piastri, but I must say I focused more on the race; I haven't reviewed the incident, but I feel he got caught in the middle of the two. In Monaco, we were the best; yesterday in qualifying, it was clear that Max was in a league of his own as Norris had said, but looking at today, I believe Norris had the better pace, though it was more about tire management because Max struggled more than Lando".
Charles Leclerc, reflecting on the incident at the start of the race, described it as a racing incident where Sergio Perez was overly optimistic:
"It was a racing incident. I tried to brake early, and I think Perez was a bit more optimistic. Unfortunately, it's already difficult to pass two cars into the first corner, and it never ends well if you try to make it three-wide. Oscar couldn't see, Checo was on the inside, and at that point, I was just a passenger. The race then became an uphill battle. Firstly, we lost a lot with the front wing change. Then we did a whole stint behind Norris where I couldn't overtake because otherwise, I would have received blue flags and had to let him go again. So both things made everything very difficult. Our race was massively compromised after the first corner, but we're not competitive enough".
Regarding Ferrari's competitiveness, which was expected to improve with updates introduced in Spain but seems to have regressed due to amplified issues like porpoising affecting performance:
"I tried to manage the situation as best as possible, but it didn't go as well. The aerodynamic load data from the new package was fundamentally what was expected in Spain, and it was the same on this track, but this also brings other limitations that we need to address because since their introduction, we've had some difficulties. Today, we set up my and Carlos' cars in completely opposite ways, and I think there are many things to learn from both configurations. It wasn't fantastic from my side, but we'll examine it, compare it, and hopefully grow and improve. I also think we're in for a tough weekend at Silverstone. Looking at the last three Grand Prix, we've struggled, and we don't have a solution yet. The data tells us we've made progress, but as mentioned, there are other limitations we need to examine and try to eliminate. I didn't expect these results after Monaco, and it's been a very, very tough period for the team. There's a lot of work to do".
Moving on to the main topic of the day, McLaren Racing's Team Principal, Andrea Stella, expresses his personal judgment on what happened between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. The general feeling is that the Dutch driver, under pressure from the British driver, resorted once again to exploiting the regulations in his favor, forcing his rival to retire after an improper maneuver, and capitalizing on this situation to gain valuable points, with an eye on the World Drivers' Championship victory. Since Lando Norris is currently the main, and perhaps only, rival of the World Champion:
"I believe that a black and white flag for Verstappen after the initial braking moves would have been appropriate. What happened today is also a consequence of 2021 when some maneuvers were not adequately penalized. We have enormous respect for Verstappen and Red Bull, and Max does not need to be so desperate. Sometimes it seems that being overtaken means the end of the world when instead he could have surely responded in subsequent laps with DRS. Today we lost, as lovers of this sport, the opportunity to experience another 6-7 wonderful laps and Norris deserved the chance to fight for the win. The penalty? The Stewards deemed the ten seconds a correct sanction, sometimes it coincides with a huge setback for a driver, today it was inconsequential. I am sure the FIA will deeply consider what happened because tightening the rules regarding legal or illegal maneuvers in wheel-to-wheel duels could be enough. We do not want another 2021, which may have been entertaining but was not a good moment for true racing enthusiasts. Could the relationship between Max and Norris be compromised? These guys are under tremendous pressure, regardless of the merit of the issue, this could be a great opportunity for Max to gain even more respect. He can apologize, admit he went too far, and present himself tomorrow even more integral in another occasion".
Lando Norris, still tense with the adrenaline of the race, speaks harshly about his friend-rival, Max Verstappen, and particularly about his behavior during the race:
"I don't know what to say, except that I am very disappointed. I had a good race and expected a strong but fair battle. I wouldn't say it ended that way in the end, it's tough to accept. It was an error-free race on my part, I feel I did a good job, but we have to look ahead to next Sunday, which will be the home Grand Prix".
Can we therefore assume that the Austrian Grand Prix will likely break the bond between the two friends?
"It also depends on what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, he would lose a lot of my respect, but if he admits he was stupid, that he came into me and was unfair in some ways, then maybe I'll continue to have some respect. But it's tough to accept when you're fighting for the win. I tried to be fair, he wasn't. But now I don't want to dwell on it anymore, I'm just sorry for the team. There's a rule, you shouldn't react to the move of the driver behind".
So he adds:
"He did it three times out of three, twice I managed to avoid him, and at one point I hit him, he closed me and ruined my race. I don't think I ruined his race as much as he ruined mine, but I can't do anything about it. I did my best but it wasn't enough, and I would say it wasn't my fault. I couldn't do anything, there are rules that must be applied, and if they are not applied I can't do anything about it, I have to do my job which is to drive and go fast, which is what I did today. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for the win, from my side I have to move forward doing what I'm doing: I'm doing a good job, I'm happy with my performances and my improvement from yesterday to today, now let's think about Silverstone. I couldn't do more and so I'm happy with myself, the team, and what we're doing. It was a disappointment not because of us".
On his part, Max Verstappen does not admit - and perhaps never will admit - any kind of fault. The Dutch driver not only is convinced he is in the right, but also defends himself from journalists' questions, saying:
"Some of those moves were real dive bombs. Throwing the car inside and hoping the other saves it, but that's not always the way to race. However, I think this corner here also lends itself to that attitude".
Regarding the 10-second penalty, which effectively had no impact on the race, Max Verstappen still criticizes it:
"I will review the incident, but 10 seconds seemed a bit too harsh at that moment. Because I didn't feel there was anything aggressive in that move".
Finally, concerning the human and friendship aspect between him and Lando Norris, the Dutch driver suggests that he will seek clarification, but only when emotions have settled and not in the immediate hours following the Austrian Grand Prix:
"We will talk, but now is not the right time. It's better to calm down. I can't comment right now on how the situation will evolve. It will all come naturally".
Christian Horner, CEO and Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, clearly defends both his team's and his lead driver's interests:
"For much of the race we had it under control, we had an eight-second lead and it looked like it was all okay. We lost some time in the pit stop as we had a wheel nut that stuck on the left rear, which cut Max's lead down more than we would have liked, and from there it was hard racing. Lando exceeded track limits and was going to get a penalty, but then there was the contact and that was really frustrating; it was tough racing between those two. We've still managed to get some points though and extend both Championships, 10 points in the Drivers' and 16 in the Constructors'. The pace of the car has been very strong this weekend; we have had two poles, Max led the race for all but nine laps, and then the Sprint victory yesterday, so it hasn't been totally disastrous, but yes, still frustrating. We really would have liked the win, but that is racing".
Clearly, in conclusion, we cannot overlook the opinion expressed by Red Bull Racing's external consultant, Helmut Marko, who honestly states:
"We lost the victory due to several factors. Our pit stop went wrong, allowing Lando into the DRS range. We expected the hard tires to be the better choice, but it wasn't the case. The temperatures were lower than expected. This meant Lando had fresh tires for his final stint while we were on used ones. This was also a factor, and Max locked up after his pit stop at Turn 4. The combination of these elements made our job difficult and complicated things for us".
Regarding what happened between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, the Austrian manager criticizes not only the behavior of both drivers but also the decisions that were not made in time by the team, which could have avoided risks:
"I think both drove unnecessarily aggressively. Perhaps we should have intervened as well, because we knew there was an investigation into Lando for track limits, but we didn't yet know if he would be penalized. With hindsight, one could say: 'Okay, let it go.' But let's look at the positive side: we have increased our lead in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. It was a good fight until it escalated".
The points Max Verstappen earned could have been as many as 11, if Fernando Alonso hadn't managed to snatch the fastest lap from the Dutch driver:
"We didn't expect Alonso to set the fastest lap, which confirms that Verstappen's car was damaged. Verstappen was in control of the situation, but the issue with the pit stop put everything into question. The mechanics should be defended regarding what happened with the wheel nut. They had done 50 pit stops between two to three seconds, sometimes it's normal that something doesn't work".
Finally, Helmut Marko criticizes Race Control for what he sees as unequal treatment:
"The penalty on Verstappen is incomprehensible, for me it was Norris who overstepped. It's no coincidence he went beyond the track limits on several occasions. The Stewards were rather slow in confirming his penalty, which would have changed the dynamics of the race finale, because I don't believe Norris would have been able to open a gap of more than five seconds once he passed Verstappen".
The Austrian Grand Prix concludes with the surprise victory of George Russell and the Mercedes team, after nearly two years of waiting, but above all with disappointment over how a duel ended as we haven't seen on the track in years. What disappoints the most is the behavior of the reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen, who seems to have returned to being overly aggressive. Compounded by imprecise regulations sometimes unsuitable for the dynamics of a modern World Championship, these maneuvers can only reward the audacity of the Dutch driver, occasionally not perfectly correct in his driving style. It's no coincidence that the Red Bull Racing driver managed to earn 10 points more than Lando Norris, who in this instance had to retire due to the contact between the two cars of the two friends-rivals. This situation sets yet another precedent, perhaps in line with what happened at Silverstone in 2021, when contact between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton led to a penalty for the British driver, who nonetheless won and gained in the standings due to the retirement of the Dutch driver. That event set a dangerous precedent, resulting in numerous subsequent contacts and incidents during the latter part of the season. As we approach the British Grand Prix, the question remains: are we facing another situation where regulations do not sufficiently penalize those who benefit from certain situations, casting doubt on the fairness of certain maneuvers?