Styrian GP Report: Like an old friend
After the double-header in Austria that kicked off the 2020 season, the Red Bull Ring feels like an old friend to which to return. And maybe the familiarity was a reason for the unspectacular race. There is still plenty to discuss, though, so here’s your race report.
It seems as clear as a window now that Red Bull has made a step forward with their straight-line speed, leaving Mercedes behind. Max Verstappen was supreme all weekend, dominating in practice, storming to pole position in qualifying and walking away with it on race day.
Mercedes had a weekend similar to their race in France or an experience you may have in a museum - they weren’t far from Red Bull, but they couldn’t get close enough to touch them. This upturn in Red Bull pace is putting the world champions under pressure, leading to silly things like Valtteri Bottas spinning in the pit lane during practice. The spin gave the Finn a three-place grid penalty, which dropped him to fifth after he had initially qualified ahead of his teammate Hamilton.
That meant that Verstappen and Hamilton started in front and drove off into the distance as they usually do. Lando Norris’ brilliant qualifying meant that he was in third position and a roadblock for Perez and Bottas. Perez did get through on the first lap, but Norris swept back around the outside with a bold move. Eventually, the number two drivers did get past before Bottas capitalised on a slow Red Bull pit stop to take third position. However, it was too late for them to catch Verstappen and Hamilton, who were already almost half a minute up the road.
Further back, Charles Leclerc was clumsy and drove into Pierre Gasly’s rear wheel as they jostled for position. This caused arguably the biggest drama of the race as a helpless Gasly tried in vain to avoid his competitors before retiring from the race. Leclerc needed to pit and then spent the rest of the race fighting his way back through the field with some great moves to finish seventh, just behind his teammate, Carlos Sainz.
George Russell was the drover keeping most fans on the edge of their seats as he looked on for his first points finish for Williams with genuinely good pace all weekend. Heart-breakingly, though, engine troubles hit, causing him to lose what would have been at least a ninth-place finish. Sadly, it was another would’ve, could’ve, should’ve situation for the young Brit.
There was no question who the winner was. Max Verstappen extended his lead by a further six points after a brilliant win over Lewis Hamilton, who minimised the pain by taking the fastest lap of the race.
Round 1 of 2 in Austria goes to Red Bull. Fitting, given that they own the circuit.
Biggest Winner: Ferrari
After a dreadful French Grand Prix, Ferrari outscored their main rivals, McLaren, with a solid P6 and P7 finish. Carlos Sainz was close to catching Lando Norris. You can only wonder what Charles Leclerc could have managed had he not had his scruffy lap one incident. Ferrari needs to ensure that they maximise their performance next weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix because this is encouraging. It’s just a question of whether they can coax the softer tyres home.
Biggest Loser: Pierre Gasly
Pierre and Alpha Tauri as a whole were on fire this weekend and were it not for his lap one retirement, which wasn’t his fault, I believe Pierre would have been in the fight with Norris and Sainz for fifth position. I predict a strong showing next weekend from Pierre, and I’m looking forward to it.
Moment of the Weekend: George Russell’s brilliance
Another shining light this weekend was George. In another weekend where rumours of him replacing Bottas at Mercedes swirled, George did his reputation no harm by qualifying 11th, narrowly missing out on the top ten shoot out. A penalty for Tsunoda meant that George then started 10th with a free choice of starting tyres. All things pointed to the Brit scoring his first points for Williams with a super start, running comfortably in the top 10. However, engine issues hit, forcing him to retire from the race. Gutting.
Honourable Mention: Hamilton’s save in the race at turn 4
It was a moment that you may have missed, but Lewis was giving it everything to catch Max in his slower Mercedes, and it was showing. Exiting turn four, the champion ran slightly wide and nearly lost the rear of the car. But like Odell Beckham Jr, Hamilton had a great catch in his locker, and he delivered it.
AJontheLine Line of the week: Valtteri Bottas after his pit lane spin
“How’s the tyre warm-up”
It was a dry piece of Finnish humour that caught my attention. After spinning in the pit lane, most of us would have been rattled but not Valtteri. He inquired about the warm-up of his incident with his tongue firmly in his cheek - the answer: sub-optimal.
So Styria goes to Max but will the potential wet weather spice things up in the same neck of the woods this weekend? Let’s find out together.
Styrian GP Race Report: The Perfect Storm
Round 2 of the bizarre but brilliant 2020 Formula One season took place at the first and probably the only, Styrian Grand Prix. We had a second helping of action from the Red Bull Ring, in Austria, and it didn’t disappoint.
“ If his rivals want to beat him, they need to outdo Lewis off the track, not just on it.”
Any fears that consecutive races at the same circuit would feel like a ‘copy and paste’ could promptly be put to bed. Torrential rain on Saturday created the perfect storm for the best drivers in the world to perform. Despite treacherous conditions, only one of the 20 runners hit the barriers. This goes to show the remarkable ability of these drivers to maintain speed and command as their cars attempt to swap ends on what feels like ice. Pure class. Pure instincts.
Historically, those drivers who could best master wet conditions have tended to be among the greats. Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher were ‘rain-masters’ of their era. The current generation’s cream of the crop raised again on Saturday. Lewis Hamilton took his Mercedes to a place where few, if any, have or ever will go. Hamilton was a staggering 1.2 seconds faster than second-placed Max Verstappen. For reference, the difference between second and tenth was also 1.2 seconds. League of his own? Undeniably.
The Formula One world looked on in awe as the six-time champion ruled over his rivals in a display akin only to his lap in Singapore 2018 and Senna’s Monaco pole in 1988. Watching Lewis’ onboard footage is a pleasure at the best of times but if you want to treat yourself, go and watch that lap. You won’t regret it.
Following a sublime pole position, Hamilton would control proceedings from lights to flag. He increased his pace when he needed to, but ultimately it was a victory taken at a canter. Such measured performance is something that we have become accustomed to, with his 85th career win taking him within 6 of the all-time record. Given the scruffy nature of last weekend, yesterday’s victory was one of the more important ones. While others went walking in the mountains or home, Lewis went back to the track to continue the search for speed with his engineers. If his rivals want to beat him, they need to outdo Lewis off the track, not just on it.
“Valtteri seems in the best mental and physical form of his Mercedes career, which will breed confidence. Hopefully, he will use that to take it to Hamilton.”
Yes, Lewis took top honours this weekend but his teammate, Valtteri Bottas still leads the championship after two races. I think Valtteri will be happy with that. However, he should be wary of letting Lewis Hamilton get any momentum. That is dangerous. The Fin has proven on multiple occasions that he can win a Grand Prix, he now needs to do just that regularly if he wants to be champion. Valtteri seems in the best mental and physical form of his Mercedes career, which will breed confidence. Hopefully, he will use that to take it to Hamilton.
It does seem as though a Mercedes shoot out for the title is on the cards. Nevertheless, such a statement can only be taken from testing and two races at the same track. Next week in Budapest, the lower speed layout may find other suitors in the form of Red Bull. Therefore, it would be foolish to write off the rest of the pack based on two thoroughly impressive weekends from Mercedes.
“We will have to wait for the verdict from the FIA, though, I’d rather no action was taken because the current midfield battle is fantastic to behold.”
Another individual who has impressed, taking the hearts of the fans and third in the championship, is Lando ‘last lap’ Norris. After such challenging years, it is a pleasure to see McLaren at the sharp end of the field once again. Carlos Sainz showed his class, taking third in qualifying but sadly faded in the race due to a slow pit stop dropping him into a traffic jam. Lando, meanwhile, had got a silly penalty in practice for not slowing down sufficiently under yellow flag conditions. This meant he started further down the order. Not that that stopped him. Due to a good strategy and a compliant teammate letting him through, Lando’s superior tyres ushered in a late charge which saw him pass three cars in the remaining two laps (another onboard that I recommend). As I mentioned last week, getting the team on side is vital for the coming years, and he is doing just that.
On the penultimate corner of Lando’s late surge, he passed Sergio Perez, who’s front wing had seen better days. I was disappointed for Sergio. He’d done so well to drive from seventeenth on the grid to fifth. He had then lunged down the inside of Alex Albon, hitting him at what is now the Thai’s least favourite corner. They touched, breaking Perez’s wing and allowing Albon to demonstrate the car control he’d learned from his similar experience with Hamilton during the previous race. A tad clumsy from the Mexican, nonetheless, an excellent recovery drive.
Sixth and seventh position wasn’t bad for Perez’s Racing Point, who have the third quickest car but started way down the order after a poor qualifying. Renault protested the legality of the Racing Point that looks incredibly similar to last year’s Mercedes. It would appear Racing Point have been cheeky in copying the design of such a dominant car, however, in working closely with the FIA they have ensured that what they have done is within the rules. On the flip side, you can understand why Renault, who have ultimately spent more money for a slower package, aren’t best pleased with the situation. We will have to wait for the verdict from the FIA, though, I’d rather no action was taken because the current midfield battle is fantastic to behold.
“Leclerc dived into an ever-closing wedge and took his teammate, himself and his pride out of the race.”
Following the race, Ferrari cancelled their team press conference, which says a lot about their weekend really. Good news came in the form of an upgrade coming a week earlier than planned. The question is, did they improve the performance? The answer - nobody knows. A shaky qualifying saw Leclerc drop out in Q2 and Vettel in 10th. The Scuderia’s drivers tardy getaway saws them fighting one another, deep within the pack. Leclerc dived into an ever-closing wedge and took his teammate, himself and his pride out of the race.
Charles took responsibility for the mistake and apologised publicly to the team. It is a good job for Leclerc that he is on a five year deal with the Italian team. Otherwise, his place in the team might have been scrutinised in greater detail. With that being said, Leclerc is still only 22 years of age and proved last year that he does and will learn from these tough moments. That ability to learn is what makes him world champion material - something Ferrari recognise.
Even so, I wouldn’t be surprised if fingers are beginning to get pointy behind the scenes in Maranello. Ferrari need to be competing at the front of Formula One. It’s weird having a race without a red car. I feel sorry for Seb Vettel, who is trying to enjoy his last races for Ferrari and demonstrate his ability to onlookers with a spare seat. He might be relieved to be leaving an imploding Ferrari. That also raises the concerns that Carlos Sainz’s camp may have in joining next year. Hopefully, the Hungaroring circuit will help the Italian outfit get back on track.
All in all, Styria produced another fine race for us. I can’t help but smile, knowing that there is a third race coming in just a few days. And that seems to be the format of F1 2020 - thick, fast and thrilling.