(Spielberg bei Knittelfeld) On the grounds of Red Bull in Austria, Max Verstappen will want to continue his momentum this weekend after his last two successes in Spain and Canada, where the three-time world champion had to work to push back his rivals.
On the magnificent track of the Red Bull Ring, the Dutchman will aim to drive home the point after having widened a gap of 69 points on his new runner-up, the Briton Lando Norris (McLaren), while he only had 31 lengths left. ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) at the end of May after the Monegasque’s success in the Principality.
In Quebec and Catalonia, without being overbearing, Verstappen managed to make the most of his car which no longer crushes its competitors as much as the last two seasons. And he escaped again in the ranking, benefiting in particular from Ferrari’s setbacks.
“At the moment it’s very tight, but the team is working hard and very well to try to improve the car. And we are also focusing on next season to be able to be very competitive,” explained Verstappen at a press conference on Thursday, who insisted that he would drive well for Red Bull in 2025.
The weekend format, with a sprint race on Saturday and therefore a single free practice session on Friday at midday, should also encourage a tightening of the peloton.
“I think it will be very close and that we could have eight cars in two tenths,” said Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari).
Ferrari under pressure
The Scuderia, which remains on a double retirement on June 9 in Canada and modest 5e and 6e places in Barcelona last weekend, its two worst weekends of the season, cannot afford to let Red Bull escape and will be under pressure in the Austrian mountains.
“The improvements made in Spain worked as expected, but you now have four teams in less than three tenths (Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, Editor’s note). We will have to concentrate on ourselves, pay attention to the smallest detail and be at our best so as not to miss any opportunity,” underlined Frédéric Vasseur, boss of the Italian team.
McLaren, which is getting closer and closer to Red Bull, will try to secure a victory which has narrowly eluded the British team in the last two races. Even if the official objective is “to continue to improve”, according to director Andrea Stella, there is no doubt that the papaya single-seaters will aim for the top step of the podium.
Mercedes, which has made spectacular progress in recent weeks, seems to have returned to the wheel of the best, like the pole position of the Briton George Russell in Montreal and the third place of his compatriot Lewis Hamilton in Catalonia, and could join in the fight.
“The team has worked hard to improve the car and it’s encouraging to be back in contention. We hope to continue our progress in Austria on a route very different from the previous ones which will offer us a new challenge,” said Toto Wolff, boss of the Silver Arrows.
Behind this quartet, the battle to hang on to the top 10 will be open and Alpine hopes to do well to confirm its recent progress after placing its two cars in the points in the last two races.
A week after the announcement of the return of the controversial Italian Flavio Briatore, in an advisory role, the French team formalized Thursday the extension of Pierre Gasly for several seasons, a welcome guarantee of stability after a chaotic start to the season.
Concerning the second seat, free since the announcement at the beginning of the month of the departure of the other French driver Esteban Ocon at the end of the season, “we will take our time”, said the team director, Bruno Famin, on Thursday.