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As the F1 drivers stay put in the Styrian Hills, the Red Bull Ring plays host to the Austrian Grand Prix, the final race in the first triple-header of the season.
Formula 1 remains in Austria for the second race around the Red Bull Ring. The instalment of the Styrian rand Prix was a fantastic spectacle and everyone is hoping for the same again.
The 4.318km circuit is located in Spielberg, the heart of Austrian racing. A combination of fast corners and straights allows these modern F1 cars to set close to 60-second lap times.
During the first-ever Austrian Grand Prix around the stunning A1-Ring, which was the name of the track back then until it was changed into the Red Bull Ring in 2011, Jacques Villeneuve converted pole position into a victory as the Williams-Renault driver crossed the line three seconds ahead of David Coulthard in second and four seconds ahead of teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen in third.
Last time out during the Styrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen won the race by over 30 seconds as the Red Bull driver secured the team’s fourth consecutive victory.
The Mercedes’ of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas followed in second and third but weren’t able to bring the fight to the Dutchman as he cruised to yet another victory.
Sergio Perez was hot on the heels of Bottas, however, the Mexican missed out on the podium by less than a second as he charged the Finn down on his fresh medium tyres to finish fourth.
It could be the case of the order repeating itself once more this weekend, but as we saw in last year’s instalment of the Austrian Grand Prix, a lot can happen with only 11 drivers finishing the race in 2020.
Top 10 Predictions
1. Max Verstappen
The Red Bull main man is likely to continue from where he left off and pick up another convincing victory during the Austrian Grand Prix. His car looked to be fantastic, and if he is able to stay away from trouble, it could be win number five this season for the Dutchman.
2. Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton looks to be pushing as hard as he can and the challenge from Verstappen has seen the seven-time world champion not win a race since Barcelona. The Mercedes driver will have to bring his A-game if he wants to win around the Red Bull Ring and close the Championship gap.
3. Valtteri Bottas
The Finn will only have the chance to challenge Hamilton and Verstappen if he stays penalty-free and that will allow him to get that bit closer to the leading two. Bottas needs to help his Mercedes teammate in stopping the Red Bull’s and he’s likely to have a key part to play during this weekend.
4. Sergio Perez
The tyre preservation king, Perez has been very impressive throughout this season and has been a worthy teammate to Max Verstappen as Red Bull lead the constructor’s championship. The Mexican has everything needed to be on the podium week in week out and won’t back down from any challenge, and there’ll be plenty this weekend.
5. Lando Norris
Mr Consistent this season, Norris has led McLaren’s charges into reclaiming third position in the constructor’s battle, but he desperately needs the help of Daniel Ricciardo for the team to remain there with Ferrari only 12 points away. The Brit has finished inside the points in every race this season and the Austrian Grand Prix will be no different.
6. Pierre Gasly
Gasly was unfortunate not to finish the Styrian Grand Prix as he tangled with a few cars during the opening lap which resulted in retirement. The AlphaTauri driver will look to make amends on last weekend’s failure and a sixth-place finish will be more than enough.
7. Fernando Alonso
The Spaniard has picked up his form and has really gotten to grips with his Alpine car. He qualified P9 last time out at the Styrian Grand Prix, and a good qualifying mixed in with good race pace will be the formula needed if the two-time world champion is to score points this weekend.
8. Charles Leclerc
Another driver that was very unlucky last weekend was Charles Leclerc as he was one of the many drivers that tangled with Gasly. The Monegasque driver drove fantastically to recover his race and finish seventh but it will be interesting to see what the Ferrari can do without any problems during the race.
9. Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel brought the team its first podium back in Baku and he’s began his career at his new team very well. The German will look to return back into the top 10 this weekend after narrowly missing out during the Styrian Grand Prix finishing 12th.
10. Carlos Sainz
Sainz outperformed his teammate Leclerc last weekend and will be hoping to get into Q3 this time around at the Red Bull Ring. The Ferrari driver will need a good qualifying if he is to get himself into the points and challenging Leclerc during the Austrian Grand Prix.
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