Max Verstappen might have won last weekend in Barcelona but he didn’t have it all his own way, with McLaren and Lando Norris pushing him to the flag.
Norris has stepped it up a gear of late and can now be considered a genuine championship contender – and clearly he thinks as much himself given his disappointment at losing ground to his Red Bull Racing rival in Spain.
It shows the change in mentality and the rising confidence from the Brit and his team, which only emerged from the doldrums at last year’s Austrian GP.
The rate of progress from McLaren since then has been phenomenal and, along with that, Norris and Oscar Piastri have grown and developed into serious contenders.
And so the Austrian Grand Prix cannot be assumed to be a Red Bull Racing cakewalk. There is at least one serious contender but, in reality, probably more.
That’s because Mercedes looks to have found some speed in recent races, starting back in Monaco. It’s carried that forward now to two more events, Canada and Spain, which suggests there have been genuine gains there.
Will that make Lewis Hamilton and George Russell contenders for victory this weekend? That’s still an unknown, but based on Canada, which has some similarities with Austria, it’s certainly possible.
Meanwhile Ferrari has been inconsistent; there in Monaco, it was nowhere in Canada and, while better in Spain, it was largely anonymous.
On a good weekend, the Scuderia can be the class of the field. But when it gets it wrong it can quickly become a midfield runner as it spirals out of contention, as we saw in Montreal.
The big question is who will nail the opening practice session and get their car working, as it now genuinely seems to be a case of which team gets the best of it early is able to carry that advantage.
We saw that in Monaco, we saw it in Canada (allowing for the weather) and it has become an increasingly prominent theme as the field has condensed. Early gains snowball.
The Austrian GP is a Sprint weekend, and while the nuances of the format have changed, getting it right in the sole practice is important as it will define the opening half of the weekend, and that is worth points.
On Friday, we’ll see a single hour of practice ahead of Sprint Qualifying, with the Sprint itself first up on Saturday. After that, there is an opportunity for teams to tweak their cars ahead of qualifying, but that’s a gamble, especially with rain forecast for Sunday.
It promises to be a high-stakes weekend and, with four events in five weeks to follow ahead of the summer break, momentum and morale will be important. A good result in Austria could do wonders.
Last year’s race was overshadowed by track limits breaches that this year shouldn’t be an issue with gravel installed on the outside of the final two corners.
It’s a welcome addition and should produce a more straightforward contest, one that could see four teams and eight drivers duking it out for top spot.
When is the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix
| FRIDAY 28th JUNE | Local time | AEST | |
| FIA Formula 3 | Practice Session | 08:55 – 09:40 | 16:55 – 17:40 |
| FIA Formula 2 | Practice Session | 10:05 – 10:50 | 18:05 – 18:50 |
| FORMULA 1 | FIRST PRACTICE SESSION | 12:30 – 13:30 | 20:30 – 21:30 |
| FIA Formula 3 | Qualifying Session | 14:00 – 14:30 | 22:00 – 22:30 |
| FIA Formula 2 | Qualifying Session | 14:55 – 15:25 | 22:55 – 23:25 |
| FORMULA 1 | SPRINT QUALIFYING | 16:30 – 17:14 | 00:30 – 01:14 |
| SATURDAY 29th JUNE | |||
| FIA Formula 3 | Sprint Race (21 Laps or 40 Mins +1 Lap) | 09:30 – 10:15 | 17:30 – 18:15 |
| FORMULA 1 | SPRINT (24 LAPS OR 60 MINS) | 12:00 – 12:30 | 20:00 – 20:30 |
| FIA Formula 2 | Sprint Race (28 Laps or 45 Mins +1 Lap) | 13:30 – 14:20 | 21:30 – 22:20 |
| Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup | Qualifying Session | 14:50 – 15:20 | 22:50 – 23:20 |
| FORMULA 1 | QUALIFYING SESSION | 16:00 – 17:00 | 00:00 – 01:00 |
| SUNDAY 30th JUNE | |||
| FIA Formula 3 | Feature Race (26 Laps or 45 Mins +1 Lap) | 08:30 – 09:20 | 16:30 – 17:20 |
| FIA Formula 2 | Feature Race (40 Laps or 60 Mins +1 Lap) | 10:00 – 11:05 | 18:00 – 19:05 |
| Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup | Race (18 Laps or 30 Mins) | 11:45 – 12:20 | 19:45 – 20:20 |
| FORMULA 1 | GRAND PRIX (71 LAPS OR 120 MINS) | 15:00 – 17:00 | 23:00 – 01:00 |
How can I watch the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix
- Channel: Fox Sports 506
Fox Sports is the only broadcaster carrying coverage of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
There is no free-to-air coverage or highlights of the event in Australia.
Are there live updates I can follow from the Austrian Grand Prix
Speedcafe will carry live updates of all F1 sessions across the weekend with commentary, facts, and insight into the event as it unfolds.
Friday, June 28
Practice 1, 20:00 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Saturday, June 29
Sprint Qualifying, 00:26 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Sprint, 19:56 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Qualifying, 23:55 AEDT
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Sunday, June 30
Race, 22:55 AEDT
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Can I stream the Austrian Grand Prix?
The Austrian Grand Prix will be broadcast live on subscription streaming services Foxtel Go and Kayo.
What tyre compounds are in use at the Austrian Grand Prix?
What is the weather for the Austrian Grand Prix?
Entry List
| Num | Driver | Team | ||
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | ||
| 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | ||
| 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | ||
| 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | ||
| 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | ||
| 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | ||
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | ||
| 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | ||
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | ||
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | ||
| 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | ||
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | ||
| 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | ||
| 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | ||
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri RB | ||
| 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri RB | ||
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake Sauber | ||
| 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Stake Sauber | ||
| 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | ||
| 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | ||
Drivers’ Championship
| Pos | Driver | Pts | |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 219 | |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 150 | |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 148 | |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | 116 | |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | 111 | |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | 87 | |
| 7 | George Russell | 81 | |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | 70 | |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | 41 | |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | 19 | |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | 17 | |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | 9 | |
| 13 | Nico Hulkenberg | 6 | |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | 6 | |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | 5 | |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | 3 | |
| 17 | Alex Albon | 2 | |
| 18 | Kevin Magnussen | 1 | |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | 0 | |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 0 | |
| 21 | Logan Sargeant | 0 | |
Constructors’ Championship
| Pos | Constructor | Pts | |
| 1 | Red Bull Racing | 330 | |
| 2 | Ferrari | 270 | |
| 3 | McLaren | 237 | |
| 4 | Mercedes | 151 | |
| 5 | Aston Martin | 58 | |
| 6 | RB | 28 | |
| 7 | Alpine | 8 | |
| 8 | Haas | 7 | |
| 9 | Williams | 2 | |
| 10 | Sauber | 0 | |
Discussion about this post