After somehow recording a race victory in Canada, on their ‘weakest’ circuit, Red Bull Racing must be confident as they arrive at home for the first time, at the Red Bull Ring, the Austrian GP.
You could liken the circuit to a miniature Spa-Francorchamps, with few corners, lots of elevation change and plenty of straights. Usually this doesn’t play into the hands of Red Bull, but after the events of Canada, it is unsure as to whether Red Bull are weak on any type of circuit anymore as their car continues to improve drastically. Should Mercedes continue to suffer from problems, a Championship challenge could be on the cards, and should Red Bull win again soon, it is more than likely that they will have a shot at the Drivers’ Championship at least.
Red Bull Austrian GP Preview: Going Home
No. 1 Sebastian Vettel (GER) – 5th
Form: 6/5/4/R/3
Third in Canada wasn’t a bad result for Vettel, who was running ahead of Daniel Ricciardo until the team split strategy on their cars. This is one of the few circuits that he has yet to achieve a pole or a win at, but that’s because he has never raced here! Vettel will be hoping not to suffer too many engine problems as he is already approaching his limit of certain parts, in which he has just five of each to last him the season. His qualifying lap in Canada was nothing short of incredible given where he was all weekend, showing that perhaps things are beginning to come together for the German as the season continues.
No. 3 Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) – 3rd
Form: 4/4/3/3/1
It is all going absolutely right for Daniel Ricciardo at the moment: the car is improving; he is driving well; he hasn’t had the reliability problems that his team mate has suffered. His win in Canada was definitely well-earned on a track which Red Bull should have struggled on, and he is the first driver to win a race while not driving a Mercedes. Having not driven here before, it will be interesting to see how well the Australian goes here, and whether he can keep up with Mercedes once again.
The engine upgrades from Renault continue to come for Red Bull, which on circuits like this will come in handy. The gap between the RB10 and the Mercedes W05 Hybrid is notably decreasing, and perhaps by the end of the season Red Bull will once again be the team to beat. Not only are they comprehensively beating Ferrari and McLaren at the moment, they are doing it in some style too, having achieved five podiums now (three for Ricciardo, two for Vettel) compared to one for the Scuderia and two for McLaren respectively. Moreover, Red Bull are the first team to beat Mercedes in a race this season, which not many people, me included, would have expected after winter testing.
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