F1 is back for the Austrian Grand Prix. Who can claim the extra points on the line during the Sprint weekend?
F1 returns for the second Sprint weekend of the year this weekend headlined by the Austrian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc is looking to defend his win at the Red Bull Ring last year, while Max Verstappen seeks his fifth consecutive win.
Last time out in Canada, Verstappen picked up his fourth win in a row ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. He and Red Bull, though, were quick to admit that Ferrari caught their eye with strong pace in the dry on Sunday, as upgrades for the Italian team have arrived to give them a summer boost.
As evidenced by the results from Montreal, Aston Martin, and Mercedes have made improvements as well. With things so tight between the three teams behind Red Bull, the finishing order might come down to which car is suited to the given circuit. In due time, we’ll see if any of the three can catch up to Red Bull and consistently fight for race wins toward the end of the season.
As mentioned it is a Sprint weekend at the Red Bull Ring, so to give you a refresher on the new format for this year take a look below at this handy guide from Mercedes.
The order of business for the @F1 Sprint weekend in Austria. ☑️ pic.twitter.com/7C0ErO1BFj
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 30, 2023
The Circuit
The Red Bull Ring is a 4.318 km (2.683 miles) circuit located in Spielberg, Austria. The track is one of the shortest on the calendar and one of the fastest to get around. Lap times throughout the weekend will clock in just a few seconds above the one-minute mark. Valtteri Bottas holds the circuit’s qualifying lap record with a 1:02:939 set in 2020.
The track has been on and off the F1 calendar throughout its history but has remained on the schedule steadily since 2014, with it hosting two races in both 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the nine races since 2014, Mercedes have won five, Red Bull have taken three, and Ferrari have won one, coming last year from Charles Leclerc.
A Lap of the Red Bull Ring
The circuit only features 10 corners but it is fast, flowing, and provides enough overtaking opportunities during races.
The drivers begin on the main straight with the first of three DRS zones and make a short climb up to the right-handed Turn 1.
The climb continues into the second DRS zone into the small kink at Turn 2 and the hard braking zone at Turn 3. This is a great overtaking spot as well as a good setup spot given the next DRS zone follows on the next straight to Turn 4.
Turn 4 begins the flowing middle part of the lap, which lasts until Turn 8 and requires the drivers to carry as much speed as possible. The final two corners are perhaps the trickiest. They are two downhill right-handers that often see track limit violations. Look out for that all weekend as it’s easy for drivers to go just wide and ruin a lap.
Points Standings
Here’s a look at where things stand heading into the weekend.
Driver Standings
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing – 195 points
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing – 126 points
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – 117 points
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 102 points
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari – 68 points
- George Russell, Mercedes – 65 points
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 54 points
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin – 37 points
- Esteban Ocon, Alpine – 29 points
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine – 15 points
Constructor Standings
- Red Bull Racing – 321 points
- Mercedes – 167 points
- Aston Martin – 154 points
- Ferrari – 122 points
- Alpine – 44 points
- McLaren – 17 points
- Haas – 9 points
- Alfa Romeo – 8 points
- Williams – 7 point
- AlphaTauri – 2 points
Predictions
Last year Ferrari scored a surprise win at one of Red Bull’s strongest tracks. I think they’ll run strong at the Red Bull Ring again this year, but not strong enough to challenge Max Verstappen for the win. Make it another victory for the championship leader.
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
How To Watch – F1 Austrian Grand Prix (U.S. and U.K. times)
- Practice 1: Friday, June 30 – 7:30 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (12:30 Sky Sports F1)
- Qualifying: Friday, June 30 – 11:00 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (16:00 Sky Sports F1)
- Sprint Shootout: Saturday, July 1 – 6:00 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (11:00 Sky Sports F1)
- Sprint Race: Saturday, July 1 – 10:30 a.m. ET – ESPN (15:30 Sky Sports F1)
- Grand Prix Sunday (Pre-Show): Sunday, July 2 – 7:30 a.m. ET – ESPN (12:30 Sky Sports F1)
- Austrian Grand Prix: Sunday, July 2 – 9:00 a.m. ET – ESPN (14:00 Sky Sports F1)
