Rivalries and collisions hang over F1's Austrian GP

Globe and Mail

4 days ago

Present rivalries and past collisions hang over Red Bull's home Austrian Grand Prix as Formula One braces for the next round of Max Verstappen v George Russell and more title-chasing drama at McLaren.
Russell and reigning champion Verstappen finished first and second in Canada two weeks ago, with Red Bull protesting – in vain – the Mercedes win and accusing the Briton of unsportsmanlike behaviour.
It is safe to say the pair are not friends and they are building up quite a track record, colliding in Spain this month in an incident that left Verstappen blamed and on the brink of a mandatory race ban.
Two of those penalty points expire after Austria but he still has to stay out of trouble through a weekend in the Styrian hills where his orange-shirted fans will be out in numbers.
'It's always a great weekend there. We've had a lot of great results and, hopefully, we can have another strong weekend there,' said Verstappen, the Austrian GP winner in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Team boss Christian Horner was not about to make any sweeping predictions.
'Probably our weakness at the moment is in the medium-speed type of corner,' he said. 'Austria, that middle sector, there's a bit of medium speed there. So we'll see. I would expect, if it's hot, McLaren to again be stronger.
'There's still a significant points gap between us and them (McLaren). But we don't give up on anything. We're not even at the halfway point yet.'
Verstappen and Norris caused a commotion in Spielberg last year when they collided while scrapping for the lead, with Norris chasing. That gifted victory to Russell.
Norris will return with the memory of that coming together now overtaken by the one between him and Piastri in Canada that left him 22 points adrift of the Australian after 10 of 24 races.
The Briton, who retired in Montreal while Piastri finished fourth, could only blame himself for that error of judgement and knows without too much soul-searching that there can be no repeat.
Another question neutrals want answered is whether McLaren will come back strong after a surprisingly low-key Canadian weekend that raised questions about their early domination slipping.
Montreal was the first race this season without a McLaren on the podium or front row, and also Mercedes' best so far with Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli third and on the podium for the first time in his F1 career.
'We know that our rivals will likely be much more competitive in Austria this weekend,' said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. 'The track in Spielberg will be a good test of our recent updates and provide another reference point for our progress.'
The same track, in 2023, marked a turning point for McLaren and the start of their rise to the top.
It was also where Norris took his first podium in 2020, but he will have to wait until Friday's second practice to start work.
Ireland's F2 leader Alex Dunne will take Norris's car for first practice while Charles Leclerc steps aside at Ferrari to give Sweden's Dino Beganovic some track time.
Dunne will be the first Irish driver to take part in an F1 weekend since Ralph Firman with Jordan in 2003.