By Carlo Platella
It is an Austrian Grand Prix that promises to be marked by a new duel between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, a challenge that has been going on for a month now. Red Bull and McLaren they continue to appear extremely close in every area of performance, separating Ferrari and Mercedes on the corners of the third sector. However, Alpine is also the protagonist in Styria, with both drivers once again among the top ten.
Sprint start
Max Verstappen took the first pole position of the weekend. The Dutchman closes Friday with the best time in all the sessions held, a novelty after two months in which Red Bull had rarely managed to find the square with the set-up before the third testing session. This time, however, the world champions arrive in Austria with an excellent starting base and a good balance right from the start, as Verstappen himself recognises.
The electronic problem suffered during free practice risks costing precious time in the morning, but the impression is that the home team doesn’t particularly need it. For Verstappen, being able to resume the session proved to be invaluable, thus being able to try the softer tire so as not to show up in Q3 without even a lap on the soft. Where the Dutchman and the RB20 make the difference it is especially in the third sector, dominated by the two final high-speed corners. Once again Red Bull stands out in terms of aerodynamic downforce, but above all with the benign behavior of the car, instilling the driver with the confidence necessary to attack the riskiest corners.
McLaren present
The only one to keep up with Red Bull in the final sector is McLaren, this time close to pole position with both Norris and Piastri. In Austria, the Woking team shows up with some updates, introducing them again in a weekend conditioned by the Sprint format and the only free practice session, as evidence of the great confidence in one’s correlation between simulation and track. The only flaw of the day is the recurrence of the power steering problems already suffered in Miami, which cost precious minutes and resources in the frenetic Austrian Friday, presumably paid with a few but potentially decisive thousandths on the stopwatch.
The first day at the Red Bull Ring thus sets up a new challenge between Verstappen and Norris, still all to be played out in both races. The Sunday race will be especially decisive, where high tyre degradation is expected, accentuated by asphalt temperatures that are expected to be higher than the 43°C already reached on Friday. It will also be interesting to evaluate which approach will prove beneficialwhether McLaren, who in free practice chooses to collect data on the hard tyre, keeping an extra set of mediums for the weekend, or rather Red Bull, who opts for the opposite strategy.
Mercedes challenges Ferrari
The Austrian Friday confirms the picture of a Mercedes closer to the top of the class than it was in the spring. Throughout the day both Hamilton and Russell remain close to Verstappen, only to then see the gap increase in Q3. Overall, the Brackley team is sending signals that it can compete on equal terms with Ferrari. Particularly interesting is the work done with Hamiltonwho in practice gave up testing the softer tyre, suffering a small disadvantage in qualifying, but thus being able to collect important data on the degradation of the hard, simulated in a stint of 20 laps.
The biggest regret at Ferrari is Charles Leclerc’s tenth place of the day, unable to complete the decisive lap in qualifying due to engine hesitation. Even without problems though the Monegasque would have had very little time before the checkered flag, with a timing of exit from the pits that would have equally compromised his preparation for the lap and the final result.
Overall, the Reds are the authors of convincing times in the second sector, the section where there is hairpin 4 which comes closest to the slow and long curves indicated as the great Achilles heel of the SF-24. With the exception of Sainz’s final lap, Ferrari also keeps pace with the competition in the first sector, while it is the final stretch where the Cavallino accumulates most of the delayA sector dominated by high-speed corners, which according to the drivers were not to be among the weaknesses of the single-seater.
The Fifth Force
After the excellent performance in Barcelona, Alpine begins the Austrian weekend with a double placing in Q3. It’s only Friday, but it’s no coincidence that the Anglo-French team is making a good showing again. The A524 had been heavily updated in Miamias well as finally brought back to the minimum weight, but the advantages had not emerged in the Imola-Monaco-Montreal trip, where Alpine paid for the difficulties in managing the ride heights and absorbing the kerbs. The return to more level tracks would seem to benefit the concept of a car designed to run low and stiff, allowing Alpine to look up and return to being an attractive destination for drivers still hunting for a seat for 2025.
#Austria #VerstappenNorris #duel #Ferrari #struggles
