By Carlo Platella
The Red Bull Ring does not disappoint and delivers a race that will be remembered for a long time. After those between Rosberg-Hamilton and Verstappen-Leclerc, the climb to Turn 3 is the scene of a new clash, this time between Lando Norris and the reigning world champion. The rotations exchanged in Austria contain all the tension of a standoff between McLaren and Red Bullfor two months at the center of an exhilarating duel from which Ferrari remains excluded.
Anxiety to win
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen certainly did not spare themselves. Regardless of where the blame lies, both protagonists showed great energy both in attack and defense, throwing their heart beyond the obstacle. Normal competitive aggression, one might say, but the clash between the two becomes the image of a growing rivalry between the respective factions. On the one hand, Max Verstappen, already known for his defenses bordering on correctness, feels all the pressure of a constantly declining technical advantage over his rivals. Hence the agitation of the world champion, not at all reassured by the abundant advantage in the drivers’ standings.
On the other hand, there is a Lando Norris who appeared decidedly gloomy in the Red Bull Ring paddock throughout the weekend. The flu contributed to extinguishing the vivacity of the Englishman, whose excessive severity towards himself, however, speaks of all the pressure and responsibility of having to lead a car that was now very close to victory, if not on par, with that of the world champions. The 4 tenths of advantage gained by Verstappen in qualifying on Saturday therefore becomes the exception within a weekend, and in general of a period, in which McLaren and Red Bull continue to challenge each other on the edge of thousandths.
The weight of the updates
The balance achieved between the Woking and Milton Keynes teams was confirmed in the Austrian race. Lando Norris would hardly have had the chance to attack Verstappen without the 5 seconds lost by the world champion at the second pit-stop, but apart from the incidents the differences in pace between the two were minimal. Red Bull continues to have its own strong point in the first stint with a full tank of fuelin which Max builds up a lead of 2.5 seconds in the first 5 laps alone, and then laps at an average of 1 tenth faster than Norris until the first pit stop. In the second fraction the difference between the two drops to just over half a tenth per lap, and then witnesses the assault of the McLaren in the final part with the tank empty.
The hope is to see a prolonged clash between the two factions, but whether the balance is maintained or broken will depend a lot on the next updates. It is a phase of the championship in which there is a lot of talk about developmentswith cars that are increasingly mature, on which innovations become less profitable and more risky. Examples of this are the cases of Aston Martin and Racing Bulls, which in their haste to speed up the times now find themselves having to deal with updates that are below expectations.
Ferrari is no exception, instead facing the side effects of the latest package of innovations, relegating itself in the hierarchies. The last two years have taught us how unpredictable ground effect Formula 1 cars are, where every increase in aerodynamic load achieved with updates is not without repercussions on balance and handling. Something that Red Bull and McLaren will have to keep this in mind and that could tip the balance in favor of one of the two.
Finally Mercedes
There is one to take advantage of the argument between Verstappen and Norris George Russell, winner of a race with a science fiction script not even imaginable by George Lucas, guest of Mercedes in Styria. The Silver Arrow still suffers a certain delay from the top of the class, but the Austrian victory, however fortuitous, is the demonstration that the more positions one manages to climb in the hierarchies, the greater the opportunities become to benefit from the mistakes of others.
Mercedes is once again the author of a convincing performance for the third consecutive race, on a varied and complete track which certifies the progress made with the car. There is still a gap to close from the top and doing so will not be easy. Meanwhile, the Star is enjoying a success that makes it the fourth different team to win a Grand Prix in this season. A statistic that was unthinkable until a year ago and which says a lot about the convergence of values on the field, laying the best foundations for the show between now and the end of 2025.
Lost Ferrari
After the changes made on the fly after the Sprint, Ferrari appears to be on the same level as Mercedes in Austria. Details and incidents decide the challenge between the two, including the outcome of qualifying and the traffic of lapped cars in the race. Even more than the missed opportunity at the Red Bull Ring, Ferrari is worried about the growing gap from Red Bull and McLarenthe same ones with which victory was played at the beginning of May.
So far, the latest package of updates brought to Spain has not brought the expected gains. The innovations have guaranteed an effective step in terms of aerodynamic load, but have once again triggered the annoying aerodynamic bounces that, in addition to forcing the drivers to lift their foot in fast corners, they also compromise the life of the tires. In fact, the bumps generate micro-slips that cause the surface temperatures of the tires to shoot up, altering balance and overall grip. Overheating thus generates quite a few problems towards the end of the lap, increasing the risk of driving errors like the one committed by Leclerc in the Austrian qualifiers.
Frederic Vasseur repeats that it will take time before learning to manage the bumps by adjusting the suspension settings. The Team Principal has his sights set on Silverstone, saying that the two free practice sessions on Friday will be very useful for gathering data and carrying out tests. The English race will close an intense triptych of races, a period that is rewriting the hierarchies of this Formula 1.
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