Formula 1: Austrian Grand Prix Preview And Predictions 

Max Verstappen showed his mettle to win the Spanish Grand Prix, his second in a row and seventh of the season. However, the Dutch driver shouldn’t have won the race as McLaren emerged as the most rapid car on the grid. Lando Norris finished within three seconds of Verstappen in Barcelona after making an early error in the race. The Woking-based team has finished P2 in the last four races after Norris claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory in Miami.

This weekend’s Austrian Sprint Race weekend pits Red Bull and McLaren against each other at the energy drink team’s home circuit. Mercedes, who showed improved pace in Spain, will hope to continue the momentum into Austria, with Ferrari hoping to bounce back from disappointing fifth and sixth places last weekend.

The Track

The 4.318 km-long circuit is one of the shortest on the calendar but packs a punch with three DRS zones. The top speed is around 330km/h, and so-called DRS trains might be a common sight in the Sprint and Grand Prix.

The Red Bull Ring features elevation changes (up to 63.3 metres from the lowest to the highest point) and long straights punctuated by short, fast corners that will work the tyres hard over the weekend and cause higher degradation. F1 tyre supplier confirmed it has chosen to bring the three softest tyres in the spectrum: the C3, C4, and C5 compound.

The three straight sections, the longest being 868m, in the first half of the lap rely on power and low drag to gain an advantage. The second half of the lap, as mentioned, features quick corners and a car with higher downforce setup will gain ground here. Spielberg demands teams to find a balance for their car over the weekend and determine at which section of the track they want to be fastest.

Triple-header

The Austrian GP is the second of three consecutive races as the teams travel across Europe. Logistically it makes it easier for teams to courier parts etc and we’re likely to see upgrades for this weekend’s race. Mercedes introduced a new floor last week that weighed less than its old component. The Brackley-based team saw Lewis Hamilton score his first podium since last October after finishing on the rostrum in Spain.

As normal with a Sprint weekend, the 10 teams will only have one practice to gather data and ready their cars for the Sprint qualifying, Sprint, and Grand Prix.

Predictions

Winner: Lando Norris
Sprint winner: Norris
Podium: Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc
Top 4 and 5: Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton
Winning Margin: Under five seconds
Fastest lap: Oscar Piastri
Pole position: Max Verstappen
First to retire: Logan Sargeant
First car to retire: Stake Sauber
Most Team Points: McLaren
Both Cars Qualify for Q3 Shootout: Alpine
Practice 1/2/3 Winning Car: Norris/ McLaren
Safety Car: No
Top 6: George Russell, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon
Top 10: Fernando Alonso, Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon
Fastest pit stop: Red Bull

Sean Parker

Sean Parker is a motorsport journalist and sports content creator at The South African. He has worked for the country's premier motoring publications, and is a Formula 1 contributor to Bet.co.za, the Bet Central podcast, and Vision View Sports radio.