Just a few days after the Grand Prix in Spain, it’s Red Bull’s home race. Literally. It’s the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. It’s also the third of six sprint-format weekends, which means just one Practice session then Sprint Quali on Friday afternoon; the Sprint (don’t call it a race) on Saturday morning, and Quali for the Race in the afternoon; and then the race, as usual, on Sunday.
Other than updates following McLaren’s motorhome fire last Friday, most of the news is around driver contracts for next season. I’ll ignore the rumours (e.g. VER to Mercedes) and summarize just the facts:
- Alpine: GAS, tba
- Aston Martin: ALO, STR
- Ferrari: HAM, LEC
- Haas: tba, tba
- McLaren: NOR, PIA
- Mercedes: RUS, tba
- RB: TSU, tba
- Red Bull: VER, PER
- Sauber: HUL, tba
- Williams: ALB, tba
So there are single seats to be announced at Alpine, Mercedes, RB, Sauber & Williams; Haas has yet to announce either driver. I guess a lot depends on where SAI will go.
Free Practice
- FP1: VER (1:05.685), PIA, LEC, SAI, HAM
VER stopped on the main straight, causing a red flag. His car was returned to the pit lane and the mechanics got him running again.
Sprint Qualifying
Reminder: SQ1+SQ2 = new medium tyres required; SQ3=softs
Sprint Qualifying session 1 (SQ1)
Air temperature 27°C; track 43°C; humidity 42%
Green light for the start of SQ1
2mins and still no action
One car starts to leave a garage and immediately (almost) everyone dashes out too… and now there’s a queue at pit exit
HAM 1:06.416
TSU 1:06.557
HAM’s time had been deleted
RUS 1:05.764
VER 1:05.690
3mins left; bottom 5 are ALO, ALB, RIC, HAM, ZHO
(HAM P11)
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are HUL, ALO, ALB, RIC, ZHO
ALO P11, BOT P16
SAR P13, HUL P16
GAS P11, RIC P16
Yellow flag as TSU spins out of Turn 9
Back of the grid: RIC, HUL, BOT, ALB, ZHO
Sprint Qualifying session 2
VER 1:05.186
PER P2 but then all the next batch of cars are faster, pushing him down to P8
3mins left; 7 cars yet to set a time
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are MAG, STR, ALO, TSU, SAR
Middle of the grid: MAG, STR, ALO, TSU, SAR
Top 10 shootout is between VER, RUS, PIA, SAI, LEC, HAM, NOR, PER, OCO, GAS
Sprint Qualifying session 3
Time to switch to soft tyres
3mins into SQ3 and no-one’s ready to take to the track – they’re all waiting to the last moment for their one fast run, but that means they’ll all want to leave the pits at the same time
Mercedes blink first with less than 3mins left of SQ3
2mins left and some cars are still creeping along the pit lane
LEC has pulled to the side – sounds like the car’s stalled
Radio for RUS, “This might be tight on time for some people” (i.e. they might not get to the start line before the chequered flag)
HAM 1:05.270
RUS 1:05.054
PIA 1:04.987
NOR 1:04.779
SAI P4
VER 1:04.686
OCO P7
PER P7
GAS P9
LEC didn’t make it to the line in time, so he’s P10
Front of the grid: VER, NOR, PIA, RUS, SAI, HAM, PER, OCO, GAS, LEC
Provisional grid for the Sprint: VER, NOR, PIA, RUS, SAI, HAM, PER, OCO, GAS, LEC, MAG, STR, ALO, TSU, SAR, RIC, HUL, BOT, ALB, ZHO
Sprint Race
Pit lane is open; drivers can make their way to the grid
Air temperature 27°C; track 40°C; humidity 55%
Rumours of another/ongoing disagreement between VER’s dad (Jos) and Whiny Spice (Christian Horner) [f1i.com]
Radio from PER reporting “pretty big vibrations” as he heads to the grid
RUS is the last one left in the garages but they don’t appear to be working on the car; he heads to the grid
NOR confirms he’s still not feeling well
ALB will start the Sprint from the pit lane (instead of P19) after Williams made changes while under parc ferme conditions
Grid: VER, NOR, PIA, RUS, SAI, HAM, PER, OCO, GAS, LEC, MAG, STR, ALO, TSU, SAR, RIC, HUL, BOT, ZHO; ALB in pit lane
VER leads everyone away on the formation lap
Everyone running on medium tyres
Start aborted – extra formation lap
ALB is also doing a lap; he’ll head back into the pit lane
Apparently the start was aborted because of photographers in Turn 1!
01/23: Everyone cleanly through Turn 1
SAI has taken P4 from RUS
02: VER, NOR, PIA, SAI, RUS, HAM, LEC, PER, MAG, OCO, STR, GAS, TSU, ALO, HUL, SAR, RIC, BOT, ZHO, ALB
DRS enabled
03: NOR fastest lap 1:08.935
VER defending P1 from NOR
VER and MAG the only ones without DRS
04: NOR has a look into Turn 4 but VER defends
05/23: NOR dives past VER; gets the McLaren stopped just in time to turn in
VER reclaims P1
PIA also past NOR
06: Angry radio from VER complaining about “clipping”
08: RUS all over SAI’s rear wing
RUS takes P4
09: The gaps are expanding, removing DRS from many cars
Hey SkySports – the onscreen timing info has disappeared
10/23: VER, PIA, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, LEC, PER, MAG, STR
Half distance already
12: VER over 1.5sec clear of PIA
GAS very close to teammate OCO’s rear wing, harrying him for P11
15: VER, PIA, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, LEC, PER, MAG, STR, OCO, GAS, TSU, ALO, HUL, SAR, RIC, BOT, ALB, ZHO
NOR has DRS as he closes on teammate PIA
16: Will McLaren tell PIA to let NOR take P2?
RIC takes P16 from SAR
17: VER over 2.5sec clear of PIA
18: VER continues to extend his lead as PIA is distracted by defending P2
19: Both McLarens have had warnings about exceeding track limits
20/23: VER, PIA, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, LEC, PER, MAG, STR, OCO, GAS, TSU, ALO, HUL, RIC, SAR, BOT, ALB, ZHO
NOR still filling PIA’s mirrors
21: HAM has DRS behind SAI; OCO and GAS have DRS behind STR
Onscreen timing info is finally back!
HUL makes an aggressive pass on ALO (would you expect anything less?) to take P14; RIC follows him past the Aston Martin
23/23: Will NOR make a move on the last lap?
Incident involving HUL and ALO – forcing a driver off the track – noted
VER takes the chequered flag
Provisional result: VER, PIA, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, LEC, PER; MAG, STR, OCO, GAS, TSU, HUL, RIC, ALO, SAR, ALB, BOT, ZHO
HUL given 10sec penalty for forcing ALO off the track on lap 21; that drops HUL from P14 to P19
Qualifying
Air temperature 32°C; track 47°C; humidity 38%
RB rushing to finish changes on TSU’s car
Qualifying session 1 (Q1)
Queue at pit exit waiting for the green light
VER 1:06.054
SAI 1:05.941
LEC 1:05.901
Mercedes pair are the last to set a lap time as most of the other runners head back to the pits
(HAM P6) – was there smoke from the engine or was it dust from a gravel trap?
RUS 1:05.614
VER 1:05.336
(PER P3)
SAI 1:05.263
(LEC P3)
(PIA P2)
(NOR P4)
5mins left; bottom 5 are HAM, STR, HUL, SAR, ZHO
Radio for NOR telling him they need to do another run, even though he’s P4
Pit lane incident involving HUL noted – failing to follow race director’s instructions (that usually means he was too slow on his out lap)
Everyone except SAI, PIA and VER on track
(HAM P6)
Radio from HAM, “I’m just slow mate” – I wonder if there is an engine issue
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are ALO, BOT, STR, ZHO, SAR
STR P16
ALO P15, relegating ALB to P16
Back of the grid: ALB, STR, BOT, SAR, ZHO
Qualifying session 2
Both Alpines and both Ferraris on track
OCO 1:05.582
LEC 1:05.532
SAI reports that he “picked up a lot of bouncing on that lap”
VER 1:04.577
Pit lane incident involving HUL noted – failing to follow race director’s instructions
5mins left; bottom 5 are GAS, TSU, HUL, MAG, ALO
VER starting another lap on new softs – there’s no need to use up a new set
VER 1:04.469
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are RIC, GAS, TSU, MAG, ALO
MAG P12
ALO P15
RIC P11
Middle of the grid: RIC, GAS, MAG, TSU, ALO
Oh, GAS’ lap time has been deleted; he drops to P13
Top 10 shootout is between VER, SAI, RUS, HAM, PIA, NOR, LEC, PER, HUL, OCO
Qualifying session 3
Red Bull mechanics working on PER’s car
HAM clips a jack as he exits the Mercedes garage
HUL 1:06.004
OCO 1:05.940
SAI 1:05.235
PIA 1:05.048
VER 1:04.426
NOR P2
LEC P3
PER P6
Unsafe release of HAM – noted
HAM P5
RUS P3
Order after the first run: VER, NOR, RUS, LEC, PIA, HAM, SAI, PER, OCO, HUL
VER 1:04.314
HUL P8
PIA P2
SAI P4
Chequered flag; order is VER, PIA, NOR, SAI, RUS, LEC, HAM, HUL, PER, OCO
NOR P2
PER P8
LEC runs wide in the penultimate turn
LEC P7
HAM P5
RUS P4
PIA’s lap time deleted for exceeding track limits
Front of the grid: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, LEC, PIA, PER, HUL, OCO
Provisional grid: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, LEC, PIA, PER, HUL, OCO, RIC, MAG, GAS, TSU, ALO, ALB, STR, BOT, SAR, ZHO
The stewards have been busy since Quali…
- Haas received a reprimand for allowing HUL to exit the garage into the fast lane when there was no gap
- Mercedes were fined €5,000 for HAM dragging a jack and an exhaust extractor when exiting the garage in Q3
- No further action was taken for VER driving unnecessarily slowly on his out lap
- McLaren’s appeal of PIA’s lap time deletion at the end of Q3 was rejected (surprise!) because “A decision of the Stewards is not open to protest” so the €2,000 “protest deposit is forfeited”
- TSU was fined €40,000 (of which €20,000 is suspended for the remainder of the 2024 season) for “inappropriate comments made on team radio”
The grid for the race is unaffected by all that… however Sauber made changes to ZHO’s car while under parc ferme so he’ll start from the pit lane instead of P20
Race
Pit lane is open; drivers can make their way to the grid
Air temperature 29°C; track 47°C; humidity 36%; it’s quite windy; 10% chance of rain during the race
RUS locked up and ran wide at Turn 3; radio from RUS asking them to check the steering; he’s told there was a sudden gust of wind
Grid: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, LEC, PIA, PER, HUL, OCO, RIC, MAG, GAS, TSU, ALO, ALB, STR, BOT, SAR; ZHO starting from the pit lane
VER leads everyone away on the formation lap
Everyone starting on medium tyres except ZHO on hards
NOR sitting right on VER’s gearbox as the come round the final turn – is he trying to unsettle VER already?
01/71: VER leads through Turn 1
HAM challenging SAI
PIA forced wide, touches the gravel
LEC has lost part of his front wing
02: LEC pits, followed by SAR; both take on hard tyres
DRS enabled
HUL and OCO battling over P8; HUL comes out ahead
03: NOR fastest lap 1:09.813
HAM all over RUS’ rear wing; passes him teammate for P3
RUS now has DRS and reclaims P3
HAM/SAI incident noted – leaving the track and gaining an advantage
05/71: VER, NOR, RUS, HAM, SAI, PER, PIA, HUL, OCO, MAG, GAS, RIC, TSU, ALO, ALB, STR, BOT, ZHO, LEC, SAR
06: Replay of the start – LEC was sandwiched into Turn 1 and tagged PIA, breaking the Ferrari’s front wing
Replay also shows PER elbow PIA into the gravel
07: SAI past HAM for P4 – HAM had been told to let SAI reclaim the place to avoid a penalty
PIA takes P6 from PER
08: HAM has DRS but SAI defending P4
Lap 1 incident between PER and PIA noted … no further investigation
10/71: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, PIA, PER, HUL, OCO, MAG, GAS, RIC, TSU, ALO, ALB, STR, BOT, ZHO, LEC, SAR
11: MAG pits, followed by RIC; hards go on; rejoin P17 and P18 respectively
12: HUL pits; a bit slow; P15, just ahead of teammate MAG
ALO pits; P18
MAG takes P15 from HUL
13: ALB pits; hards; P19
14: ALB passes LEC for P18 – a Williams overtakes a Ferrari! LEC must have an issue
PER is claiming sidepod damage – I wonder if that was because he hit PIA?
15/71: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, PIA, PER, OCO, GAS, TSU, STR, BOT, ZHO, HUL, MAG, RIC, ALO, ALB, LEC, SAR
Radio for MAG telling him to manage his tyres; he’s pretty clear about disagreeing with that
17: LEC pits; 2nd stop already; mediums this time; P19
18: HUL right on ZHO’s tail; dives inside to take P13
MAG follows his teammate to take P14
20/71: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, PIA, PER, OCO, GAS, TSU
OCO pits; hards; P17
BOT pits too; hards; P18
21: ALO takes P14 from ZHO
Replay shows ALO rear-ended ALO, pushing the Sauber into the run-off area
ALO/ZHO incident under investigation
22: HAM pits; hards; P6
PER pits; hards; P9
Radio from PIA reporting HAM crossed the white line at pit entry
Replay shows HAM’s Mercedes in a 4-wheel slide as he wrestles it into the pits
Incident involving HAM under investigation
23: ALO given 10sec penalty
24: VER pits, followed by NOR; hards; P2 and P3
VER released into NOR’s path but don’t expect VER to get a penalty
25/71: PIA, VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, HUL, PER, MAG, RIC
HAM given 5sec penalty
26: PIA pits from P1; hards; P6
NOR f/lap 1:09.434
PER/NOR incident noted… under investigation
27: PER takes P7 from HUL
29: Radio from VER reporting a gearbox problem; he’s told “Gear 7 is still fine” which suggests there’s a problem with 8th
30/71: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM*, PIA, PER, HUL, MAG, RIC, ALO*, OCO, GAS, ALB, TSU, STR, BOT, LEC, ZHO, SAR (*both HAM and ALO have time penalties)
Everyone has made at least one pit stop
32: PER given 5sec penalty for speeding in the pit lane
33: GAS has a look at passing his teammate but OCO defends P12
Radio from GAS saying OCO has to pass ALO quickly
34: NOR f/lap 1:09.400
LEC pits; his 3rd stop; mediums; P18
VER/NOR incident – no further action
35/71: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, PIA, PER, HUL, MAG, RIC
OCO and GAS both pass ALO
Half distance
36: ALO pits; serves his 10-sec penalty; hards; P19
38: TSU inside ALB to steal P13
ALO takes P18 from ZHO
RIC pits from P10; hards; P16
39: MAG pits; hards; P15
40/71: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, HAM, PIA, PER, HUL, OCO, GAS
VER reports “Tyres are suddenly really bad”
STR inside ALB for P12
HUL pits; hards; P13
41: OCO and GAS wheel to wheel; GAS comes out ahead, P8
Incident involving OCO and ALO noted
42: OCO has DRS to fight back against his teammate
45/71: OCO and STR both pit; mediums and hards respectively; P14, P16
ALB crossing white line at pit exit – under investigation… given 5sec penalty
46: TSU pits; hards; P15
47: RUS pits from P3; hards; P6
Radio from VER concerned he can’t keep the lapped Haas duo behind him
48: SAI pits from P3; mediums; P6
PIA inside HAM to take P3
49: RUS f/lap 1:09.164
50/71: VER, NOR, PIA, HAM, RUS, SAI, PER, HUL, MAG, RIC, LEC, GAS, OCO, ALB, STR, TSU, ALO, BOT, ZHO, SAR
GAS has DRS behind LEC
51: NOR runs wide; recovers
GAS inside LEC for P11
52: VER pits; slow stop; mediums; still P1
NOR pits; mediums; P2
PIA pits, followed by PER; mediums; P6, P9
VER has a big lockup in Turn 4; just stays out of the gravel
53: NOR under 2sec behind VER
54: NOR f/lap 1:08.016
NOR has DRS
HAM pits; mediums; P6
55/71: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, PIA, HAM, HUL, MAG, PER, RIC
VER weaving on the straight, and moved in the braking zone
57: Radio from VER complaining “there’s something wrong with the car, no grip”
Radio for VER suggesting a setting change; “No!”
58: NOR right on VER’s tail
NOR given black and white flag for exceeding track limits
59: NOR dives inside but runs wide; takes P1 but he’ll let VER reclaim it
VER immediately on the radio reporting NOR ran wide, hoping to get the McLaren a penalty
60/71: VER, NOR, RUS, SAI, PIA, HAM, HUL, PER, MAG, RIC
61: NOR challenging VER again
NOR under investigation for track limits
62: PIA has DRS behind SAI
63: NOR dives inside; VER runs wide; presumably NOR will be blamed for that
Radio from VER whining about NOR, of course
64: Contact between NOR and VER
VER has a puncture, but turns in and hits NOR
NOR trying to limp back to the pits but VER pushes him onto the grass
65/71: RUS, SAI, PIA, VER, NOR, HAM, HUL, PER, MAG, RIC
VER pits; softs; P5
Toto on the radio, “You can win this George!”
NOR retires
66: Virtual Safety Car deployed
Replay shows VER move left to cause the collision with NOR
VSC ends
68: VER given 10sec penalty for causing a collision – doesn’t seem sufficient given he took NOR out of the race
69: MAG has RIC and GAS both with DRS behind him
VER f/lap 1:07.719
70/71: RUS, PIA, SAI, HAM, VER, HUL, PER, MAG, RIC, GAS, OCO, LEC, STR, ALB, TSU, BOT, ALO, ZHO, SAR; out: NOR
ALO pits; mediums; P18
71/71: VER is 21sec ahead of HUL so the 10sec penalty means nothing 🙁
RUS takes the chequered flag
PER locks up, nearly hits HUL
ALO f/lap 1:07.694 – denies VER of the bonus point
Provisional result: RUS, PIA, SAI, HAM, VER, HUL, PER, MAG, RIC, GAS; LEC, OCO, STR, TSU, ALB, BOT, ZHO, ALO, SAR
DNF: NOR
Fastest lap: ALO
Replay of radio for VER telling him about the 10-sec penalty for taking out NOR; VER whines about it being ridiculous and blames NOR
He’s right though, the penalty is ridiculous – VER deserves a lot stiffer penalty for intentionally causing the collision that took NOR out of the race
[2024 calendar and driver line-up]
