26/06/2024
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen: We always feel really welcome and enjoy coming back to Austria, being a home race for Red Bull. The scenery and mountains around here are great and it is always good to see the Orange Army fans here and really feel that support from the grandstand. It is another Sprint race this weekend, which always ends up being a hectic and busy weekend for us. It is really important to nail the set up of the car straight away and analyse how best we build and improve on our previous races, especially as qualifying is always close here. The track lends itself to a lot of overtaking so I'm sure it will be an exciting race. The Team performed well here last year so hopefully we can do the fans proud this weekend and bring it home with another win.
Sergio Perez: I had a difficult weekend in Spain but it's one we have learnt from. I struggled with the balance of the car all weekend. We couldn't get the set-up consistent and in a window for qualifying or to race the race we wanted, the grid place penalty also harmed us. This weekend in Austria we have everything in place to have a cleaner weekend, the Team and I know where we must improve and make changes and we will implement them. It's then my job to get the most out of the car, we'll have limited running due to the Sprint weekend, so I need to make the most of first practice and attack qualifying and the Sprint from the start. We want and need a complete weekend. Austria is always a great race, it's Red Bull's home and that makes for a brilliant atmosphere, I'm looking forward to it.
Stats & Facts
• Max took the Drivers' Championship lead after winning the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix and has now passed two years without losing it.
• Checo's points finish in the Spanish GP ensured Oracle Red Bull Racing were the top scoring Team in Barcelona, extending their lead in the Constructors' Championship to 60 points, the largest lead of the 2024 season.
• Max is seeking a fifth consecutive pole position at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. Should he succeed, it will be his longest streak at any circuit in his Formula One career, having also taken four in a row at Yas Marina from 2020-2023.
• Max will also be seeking a 107th career podium finish in Austria. The Spanish GP saw him equal Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso for fourth on the all-time table.
• This weekend will be the seventh GP held by the Red Bull Ring since 2020, more races than any other racetrack as it hosted two races in both 2020 and 2021.