30/06/2021
NEWS STORY
As was the case last year, due to the ongoing pandemic and the resultant changes that have needed to be made to the schedule, the Red Bull Ring is hosting consecutive, back-to-back rounds of the world championship.
Last weekend the circuit, located with the magnificent Syrian Mountains for a backdrop, hosted the Styrian Grand Prix and this week it plays host to the Austrian Grand Prix.
Having been roundly beaten last week, indeed, having suffered its fourth successive defeat at the hands of Red Bull, Mercedes is hoping to get its championship hopes back on track this time around.
"We hope to arrive to FP1 this weekend with the car in a happier place, ready to build from there," says Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, as the mixed messages coming out of Brackley continue, what with the Austrian saying that there will be no further updates to the 2021 car and technical boss, James Allison insisting that there will be.
With one win under its belt on it very own home track, Red Bull is feeling understandably confident, team boss, Christian Horner calling on his team to keep the pressure on its rivals.
"We've got to take things one step at a time," he said, according to the sport's official website. "The team's performing incredibly well. Max is, I think, driving with great maturity and consistency and we've just got to keep turning the screw and just keep our heads down, keep doing what we're doing and just keep doing the basics well."
"To win our home race last weekend was a whole team effort," says Max Verstappen, "and we can be very happy with that, but we cannot expect the same result easily this weekend.
"People will learn from what they didn't do so well last week," he added, "and also we have softer tyre compounds which could mix things up as well.
"As a team we are focused on ourselves and I like that everyone is still pushing and wants to improve, as that is what Formula One and competition is about. It is very important to me to see everyone motivated and adding performance and from my side I will keep driving to the maximum each weekend so we can try and stay ahead. At the moment we have a very good package but we need to keep on top of everything as it is still a very long season."
Heading into the weekend, according to sportsbettingdime.com, Verstappen is favourite to win, ahead of Lewis Hamilton (2/1), Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, who are both quoted at 12/1.
The big difference between this week and last week - other than the fact that the weather appears more settled - is that the tyres this time around are a step softer than last time.
Traditionally this has been a one-stop race - other than those occasions when a safety car has prompted drivers to take a 'free' pit stop however, the softer nomination this weekend could push teams closer to a two-stopper.
While the Red Bull Ring has the quickest lap time, the track length of 4.318 kms is only fifth shortest on the calendar, behind Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands and Monaco. Also, because of the quick lap times and short track length, it's one of the tightest qualifying sessions of the season, with fewer opportunities to find time.
However, this means drivers can fit in more qualifying runs during the sessions, if they have the available tyre sets, and teams can complete more laps in the one-hour practice sessions.
As the majority of drivers can attest, the track is one of the most aggressive when it comes to the shape, depth and spacing of the kerbs. Indeed, the high sausage kerbs on the corner exits are also aggressive, so therefore it's one of the harshest on the car's suspension. Furthermore the risk of bodywork damage is high, and we often see drivers picking up damage in practice as they push the limits of the track.
Austria has three big braking zones, two of which are classed as "heavy" - registering more than 4g, for over 0.4s. This leads to high brake wear. Turns 1, 3 and 4 come in close succession, too, so that can lead to very hot brakes. Also, Austria has the joint-second highest percentage of lap time spent at full throttle, with 73%. Only Italy has more time spent at full throttle with 78%.
The temperatures can be very variable, making the weekend far from straightforward. Over the last five years, the race day temperatures have fluctuated from between 16 degrees C to 32 degrees C.
The 69-metre elevation change from the lowest to highest point at the Red Bull Ring is one of the highest of the season, which is unsurprising considering the track's position in the Austrian Alps. The lowest point is on the start/finish straight and the track reaches a peak at the top of Turn 3.
The drivers experience 5.1g through the ultra-fast Turn 9, the penultimate corner on the track. This is the third-highest g-force registered all season.
While the record books show Mercedes finishing second and third last weekend, it was a monumental defeat for the German team which sees it slip further behind its rival in both championships.
Meanwhile, the battle for 'best of the rest' continues, and while Ferrari team boss, Mattia Binotto says his team is only interested in winning championship, McLaren's Lando Norris insists that the SF21 is a vastly underrated car.
"Clearly third position in the constructors' can be an objective, but it's not the main one," said Binotto, according to Motorsportweek.com (external link). The main one, as I said before, is as a team, we are improving and doing better in the future. In that respect, great, we gained four points for the Constructors', but it's not our top objective for the season."
"I do I feel like a lot of people underestimate them for some reason and still think they have a terrible car and don't expect things," Norris told Speedcafe.
"Ferrari made a lot of improvements from last season. They're one of the best cars in in certain types of corners and they're extremely fast.
"There's nowhere where they're particularly bad," he added, "they're decent in the straights, they're still very fast in the corners. "I think people should just expect more from them."
Assuming Daniel Ricciardo can turn things around this weekend, it will be fascinating to see how this battle continues, while AlphaTauri, Aston Martin and Alpine will all be keen to add to their points tally.
Having come so close last weekend, can George Russell finally turn things around, not only in qualifying by making it into Q3, but on Sunday by scoring his team's first point of the season?