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Following Friday's practice in Austria, Max Verstappen was not entirely satisfied with Red Bull Racing’s package. He complained, among other things, about grip, but in the long runs the Austrian team doesn’t seem to be in such bad shape. Mercedes is clearly the benchmark, with Red Bull possibly in second place.
The four-time world champion still struggled to find the right balance in the car, and the grip from front to rear didn’t feel quite right. That’s the homework the Dutchman gave his team heading into qualifying day at the Red Bull Ring.Verstappen wasn’t entirely negative, though. He indicated that Red Bull might still be able to do something on Saturday to improve the situation. That would be good, because in the long runs Red Bull looks reasonably strong.
Max Verstappen - Photo: Race Pictures
Max Verstappen - Photo: Race Pictures
As usual with long runs, we have to account for the fact that we don’t know what engine modes, setups, and fuel loads the teams are running. That makes it not always easy to draw conclusions after analyzing the long runs, although the average and consistency can provide guidance. Mercedes clearly sets the benchmark with both drivers on the medium tire.
George Russell did a slightly shorter long run than Kimi Antonelli. The difference between the two was minimal. The Briton averaged 1:11.220, with Antonelli just under half a tenth behind at 1:11.265. Lando Norris comes closest with an average of 1:11.466. Then comes Verstappen, who is about 0.25 seconds slower with an average of 1:11.704.
Oscar Piastri and Verstappen are closely matched, with the Australian sitting just behind the Dutchman with 1:11.777, and Lewis Hamilton joining that group with a 1:11.773 average. The top drivers all did their long runs in the second half of the session, just after the hottest point of the day had passed. We also need to account for the race starting two hours earlier than FP2, meaning it will be warmer during the race than during the second free practice.
Of the four top teams, Isack Hadjar and Charles Leclerc are the slowest. The French-Algerian driver currently agrees with his teammate and also thinks there is still a lot of work to do for Red Bull. At the moment, it doesn’t feel to him like much has changed. However, Red Bull is good at making a leap from Friday to Saturday, and the drivers will be hoping enough data has been gathered to actually make that step.
Leclerc, however, is the tail-ender. Things haven’t been going well on his side of the Ferrari garage for a while, and he admitted he had a difficult Friday. “At the moment, it's been a struggle the whole FP1 that I didn't do, but as a team, I could obviously follow FP1 and also FP2 inside the car,” said the Monegasque. The gap between him and Hamilton is significant: nearly three tenths.
The gap to Mercedes is even larger for Leclerc, while Red Bull with Verstappen, McLaren, and Hamilton appear to be a few tenths to half a second off the Silver Arrows. It remains to be seen how well Mercedes will manage the tires and their (mutual) strategy on Sunday. Behind them, there are certainly contenders lurking. A podium might be on the cards for Verstappen.
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The four-time world champion still struggled to find the right balance in the car, and the grip from front to rear didn’t feel quite right. That’s the homework the Dutchman gave his team heading into qualifying day at the Red Bull Ring.Verstappen wasn’t entirely negative, though. He indicated that Red Bull might still be able to do something on Saturday to improve the situation. That would be good, because in the long runs Red Bull looks reasonably strong.
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Max Verstappen - Photo: Race Pictures
Max Verstappen - Photo: Race Pictures
Verstappen faster than McLaren
As usual with long runs, we have to account for the fact that we don’t know what engine modes, setups, and fuel loads the teams are running. That makes it not always easy to draw conclusions after analyzing the long runs, although the average and consistency can provide guidance. Mercedes clearly sets the benchmark with both drivers on the medium tire.
George Russell did a slightly shorter long run than Kimi Antonelli. The difference between the two was minimal. The Briton averaged 1:11.220, with Antonelli just under half a tenth behind at 1:11.265. Lando Norris comes closest with an average of 1:11.466. Then comes Verstappen, who is about 0.25 seconds slower with an average of 1:11.704.
Oscar Piastri and Verstappen are closely matched, with the Australian sitting just behind the Dutchman with 1:11.777, and Lewis Hamilton joining that group with a 1:11.773 average. The top drivers all did their long runs in the second half of the session, just after the hottest point of the day had passed. We also need to account for the race starting two hours earlier than FP2, meaning it will be warmer during the race than during the second free practice.
Leclerc at the back: what’s going on with the Monegasque?
Of the four top teams, Isack Hadjar and Charles Leclerc are the slowest. The French-Algerian driver currently agrees with his teammate and also thinks there is still a lot of work to do for Red Bull. At the moment, it doesn’t feel to him like much has changed. However, Red Bull is good at making a leap from Friday to Saturday, and the drivers will be hoping enough data has been gathered to actually make that step.
Leclerc, however, is the tail-ender. Things haven’t been going well on his side of the Ferrari garage for a while, and he admitted he had a difficult Friday. “At the moment, it's been a struggle the whole FP1 that I didn't do, but as a team, I could obviously follow FP1 and also FP2 inside the car,” said the Monegasque. The gap between him and Hamilton is significant: nearly three tenths.
The gap to Mercedes is even larger for Leclerc, while Red Bull with Verstappen, McLaren, and Hamilton appear to be a few tenths to half a second off the Silver Arrows. It remains to be seen how well Mercedes will manage the tires and their (mutual) strategy on Sunday. Behind them, there are certainly contenders lurking. A podium might be on the cards for Verstappen.
Continue reading...
