Mercedes’ bounceback amongst key F1 Austrian Grand Prix storylines

As has been argued right here and elsewhere, Lando Norris’ frustration following his second-place end in final weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix instructed us not simply the story of 1 singular race, however fairly your entire 2024 Formula 1 season.

A yr in the past in Barcelona, Max Verstappen cruised to a 24-second victory forward of Lewis Hamilton, and the energy of the RB19 was evident within the closing phases of that race. After being given repeated warnings for exceeding monitor limits, Verstappen had such a bonus on the monitor that he felt assured sufficient to submit the quickest lap of the race within the closing phases, prompting one other legendary request from his race engineer, Gianpietro Lambiase. “Ok,” quipped the engineer known as GP, “now are you able to convey it house inside the white traces?”

Last Sunday in Barcelona was a a lot totally different story. Verstappen wanted to overhaul George Russell — after the Mercedes driver’s gorgeous double overtake on the opening lap — to get into the lead. And whereas the Red Bull champion loved an eight-second benefit over Norris within the closing act of the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, the McLaren driver not solely obtained that down to 2 seconds within the closing laps, however he felt that he had the quickest automotive, and will have gained.

F1 this season is a complete new ballgame.

Teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and maybe even Mercedes have closed the hole to Red Bull, placing the defending Constructors’ Champions — and Verstappen himself — underneath stress. Of course, placing Red Bull and Verstappen underneath stress is one factor, however getting that well-oiled machine to crack underneath stress is one other. On a Sunday in Barcelona, Red Bull answered that decision, keeping off the sector for an additional victory.

But will that be the case this weekend in Austria?

Speaking on Sunday evening following the Miami Grand Prix Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur instructed the assembled media, together with SB Nation, that groups had been now in a position to put some stress on Red Bull on the entrance, which may very well be a “recreation changer” for the season.

“What is true is that in comparison with one yr in the past once we are in a position to do job and to place the whole lot collectively, we’re there, it implies that we’re placing [Red Bull] a bit bit underneath stress. They should take to be a bit extra aggressive with the technique,” began Vasseur in Miami.

“They should not anymore within the consolation zone of final yr when final yr that doesn’t matter what’s occurred after lap two, they had been in entrance and it’s, I believe it’s a recreation changer within the administration of the race,” added Vasseur.

“And this, it’s a chance for us as a result of that if we’re doing one other small step, I believe that we’ll be actually able to battle with them each single weekend.”

That battle continues this weekend, and is considered one of many storylines to look at.

Have race organizers actually solved the monitor limits subject?

F1 followers will recall the three commonest phrases used in the course of the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix.

“Track limits exceed.”

Consider these numbers from final yr:

During qualifying alone, 47 laps had been deleted as a result of “exceeding monitor limits,” leading to a shaken-up subject and plenty of indignant drivers, groups, and followers. Then within the Grand Prix itself plenty of drivers had been hit with penalties for exceeding monitor limits, and it even led to a post-race protest from Aston Martin, inquiring whether or not all the suitable penalties had been levied.

That protest was upheld, and much more drivers had been hit with penalties hours after the race concluded. An extra 12 penalties had been handed out to eight drivers, and race officers famous that they nonetheless had been unable to evaluation all 1,200 potential incidents of exceeding monitor limits.

Those numbers prompted not simply drivers, however distinguished figures inside the sport to marvel if adjustments wanted to be made on the Red Bull Ring. “The drawback is it’s very troublesome for the drivers as a result of they’ll’t see the white line from the automotive so that you’re simply purely doing it on really feel and the circuit invitations you to go there,” mentioned Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, speaking before the post-race penalties had been introduced final season. “So I believe that it’s one thing that must be checked out for subsequent yr to maybe add extra of a deterrent for the drivers to be drawn onto that a part of the circuit.”

Now, evidently that deterrent has been added.

As was reported by Race Fans final yr the FIA requested race organizers to put in gravel traps on the circuit, specializing in Turns 9 and 10. “In order to handle the problem for future occasions we are going to renew our advice to the circuit so as to add a gravel entice on the exit of turns 9 and 10,” said a spokesperson from FIA to RaceFans last season. “We word that whereas this isn’t a simple answer in relation to different sequence that race right here, it has proved to be very efficient at different corners and circuits with related points.”

On Tuesday photos surfaced of recent gravel traps on the circuit, certainly within the neighborhood of Turn 10:

Will these gravel traps resolve the problem? That could be troublesome to perform, given the scale of Red Bull Ring. Measuring in at just over 4.3 kilometers and with solely ten corners, the circuit is without doubt one of the smallest on the calendar. While each millisecond counts in F1, that’s very true in Austria, notably in qualifying. Consider what Logan Sargeant instructed me about monitor limits earlier this season:

“Yeah, those that drive me loopy are the, ‘[j]ust preserve it on [the track]’ like once we’re speaking about monitor limits,” mentioned Sargeant. “And then you definitely take a look at Bahrain and first via twentieth in Q1 is roofed by eight tenths.

“Especially while you’re on the again finish of that [lap], attempting to make it via Q1 and also you’re at all times on the cusp. Imagine, you already know, leaving a little bit of time on the desk can shuffle you down two or three positions when you’re too protected after which while you add the tires overheating via the lap, the wind gusting and altering all through the lap. Even simply having a slight slipstream from the automotive had utterly adjustments the nook,” added Sargeant. “You know, I believe a lot extra goes into finishing lots than folks notice and likewise having the ability to preserve it inside the white traces and nonetheless getting essentially the most out of it. It’s much more complicated than simply, you already know, ‘preserve it inside the white traces.’

“There’s, there’s so many variables and, I believe folks overlook that lots.”

The presence of the traps would possibly assist, however anticipate to listen to these three phrases usually this weekend.

Are we witnessing a Mercedes bounceback?

Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

A yr in the past McLaren delivered a surprising turnaround, rocketing up the standings following a dismal begin to the season. In some ways, that turnaround started in Austria a yr in the past, when a fourth-place end from Norris banked 12 factors for the staff.

They entered the Austrian Grand Prix final yr with 17 factors to their identify, tallied all through eight race weekends.

Are we seeing one thing related from Mercedes?

The Silver Arrows obtained out to a sluggish begin of their very own this season, however have actually proven progress in latest weeks. A sequence of upgrades the staff started to roll out again in Miami have delivered improved efficiency on the monitor, and the staff is coming off their two greatest race weekends of the yr. In Montreal, they captured their first pole place of the season, because of a robust efficiency from George Russell, and Russell’s P3 gave the staff their first Grand Prix podium of the yr, to go together with a P4 from Lewis Hamilton. (Hamilton notched a podium together with his P2 within the F1 Sprint Race on the Chinese Grand Prix again in April).

Last week in Barcelona, the staff loved one other robust weekend, locking out the second row in each qualifying and the Grand Prix, with Hamilton ending third and Russell fourth.

Progress has actually come to Brackley, in addition to maybe the subsequent nice F1 meme above. But can they preserve this momentum rolling within the Austrian hills?

Frustration at Ferrari

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, we discover the Scuderia.

Back on the finish of May Ferrari was on a roll. Charles Leclerc lastly broke via with a win in his house race, capturing the Monaco Grand Prix. Add in a P3 from teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. — and solely eight factors for Red Bull on the weekend because of a DNF from Sergio Pérez and a P6 from Verstappen — and Ferrari moved 32 points closer to Red Bull atop the Constructors’ Championship standings.

As the grid shifted to Montreal the Scuderia trailed Red Bull by simply 24 factors, and the speak of a real title battle was on.

Thoughts of a title battle stay, however Ferrari has not helped themselves in latest weeks. A disastrous Canadian Grand Prix for the staff noticed the staff go away Montreal with none factors to point out for his or her efforts, and with Leclerc ending fifth in Barcelona, and Sainz sixth, they’ve seen Red Bull draw back from them a bit within the standings. Currently, Ferrari sits 60 factors behind Red Bull, the hole having greater than doubled in latest weeks.

And whereas Ferrari would like to look forward, McLaren is now simply 33 factors behind them, having reduce their 68-point deficit to Ferrari following the Monaco Grand Prix by over half.

Here’s what that motion appears like in graphic type, because of our associates at Formula1Points:

If you might be itemizing groups within the subject that want a bounce-back efficiency in Austria, Ferrari would possibly simply prime the checklist.

What concerning the again of the pack?

Returning to our associates at Formula1Points, when you take a look at the standings behind the F1 subject you would possibly see one thing fascinating:

Alpine? We owe you an apology, we had been probably not accustomed to your recreation.

Okay, so maybe apologies should not so as, however it’s actually noteworthy that the staff backmarker staff having essentially the most success over the previous two race weekends is the French-based outfit. While Visa Cash App RB F1 Team managed to go away Montreal with 4 factors because of an eighth-place end from Daniel Ricciardo, back-to-back double-points outcomes from Alpine has seen them add six factors to their account, versus the 4 from VCARB.

Which has seen Alpine climb to seventh within the Constructors’ Championship standings.

Can Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly preserve Alpine’s momentum getting into Austria? Can VCARB ship a bounce-back efficiency of their very own? Will Sauber lastly break via with factors? What about Haas and Williams, can they shock the sector within the Austrian hills?

Driver information?

Here is one final storyline because the grid heads to Red Bull Ring.

Is this the week we lastly — mercifully? — hear information about Carlos Sainz’s future?

Rumors flew via the paddock in addition to your entire F1 world that an announcement on the place Sainz would land for 2025 was imminent. Even drivers similar to Kevin Magnussen, who’s dealing with his personal unsure F1 future, pointed to Sainz because the “cork within the bottle” concerning the 2025 driver market. But a wrench was thrown into these plans within the type of Flavio Briatore, who just lately joined Alpine as an advisor and reportedly made a last-ditch effort to woo Sainz to the French staff for subsequent season.

Those talks doubtless bore little fruit, given yesterday’s information that each Mick Schumacher and Jack Doohan had been set to check for Alpine within the coming days, that means that we could lastly hear from Sainz on the place his F1 story will likely be written subsequent.

Watch this area.