On the Red Bull track, Verstappen does not give up and leads the Austrian GP team. Meanwhile, Mercedes and Ferrari struggle to find the solution
Another weekend with Sprint Race and we arrived in Austria, at the Red Bull Ring. In addition to being the home of bullfighting fans, it is a track full of details: short (the shortest length of the season after Monaco), fast and firm at altitude, which takes power away from the cars. In addition, the cars must have good aerodynamic efficiency and traction to exploit the exits of the corners.
Almost a year ago, McLaren began its leap forward by bringing a large aerodynamic package and wanting to consolidate itself in the leading group. We talk about it here and this Friday the Norris and Piastri duo demonstrated that they are here to stay at the front. To demonstrate that it wants to do more, McLaren brought a new front suspension and a slightly modified front wing on the lateral support.
Even so, it wasn’t enough to beat Max Verstappen. The competition is getting closer, but the Verstappen/Red Bull duo is still ahead. Even with a sensor problem in FP1, he dominated both training sessions and will start Saturday’s Sprint Race in the lead.
Mercedes has shown that it has really evolved, but not yet enough to be a real competitor. In FP1 the focus was working on race simulations, especially with Hamilton. But in qualifying, a problem with the surface due to Hamilton sliding off the track ended up slowing down his time.
The one that has remained stagnant is Ferrari. The package of improvements brought to Barcelona did not have the desired effect. So much so that the Italians have chosen not to bring anything new to this race to focus on understanding the SF-24 and bring something to Silverstone. What is said is that the changes made have brought more aerodynamic pressure, but have made the car bounce more, losing the gain obtained.
As if that wasn’t enough, the anti-stall device came into action on Leclerc’s engine just as he was about to launch into the fastest lap of Q3 in the Sprint Race classification. The Monegasque had to stop at the pit exit and restart the car. Result: he missed the opportunity to set the time and will start from 10th place.
Alpine was once again somewhat of a surprise, placing both of its cars in the top 10. A weight-saving chassis strategy and a new aerodynamic package managed to unlock some of the A524’s performance.
Friday results
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
