Austrian Grand Prix – The Tops/Flops

TOPS

1. Ferrari seems to find solutions

At the start of the season, the Scuderia has faced many difficulties, which starkly contrasts with the potential title fight of last year.

Charles Leclerc in particular once again showed great comfort on the Red Bull Ring circuit. On Friday’s qualifying session for the Grand Prix, he was only 48 milliseconds away from pole position. The sprint race went better for Carlos Sainz (3rd), and the Monégasque driver concluded Sunday with a very impressive second place finish.

The SF-23 has regained its pace and promises more closely contested races at the front. Even the missed pit stop during the virtual safety car wouldn’t have made a difference, as Max Verstappen was untouchable. And Carlos Sainz, 4th before the penalty, wouldn’t have been able to do much better by staying on track. Ferrari did its best, cleanly.

2. Lando Norris: deserving, combative and efficient

The number 4 is quite successful for the British who display it on their car! Lando Norris reminded everyone of his skills by delivering a beautiful Grand Prix. The McLaren driver was a serious contender for the podium before the comeback of Sergio Pérez, who was more than disappointing this weekend.

Norris has always been comfortable on this track, especially considering that the Red Bull Ring was the site of his very first podium in 2020. He proved it once again and secured a fantastic 4th place (with Carlos Sainz’s penalty). His magnificent 3rd place in the Sprint Shootout showed how much he deserved to compete at the front.

His title of driver of the day is more than deserved: the least we can expect is to see him rightfully rewarded for his talent, at the very least on the podium.

The McLaren seems much more competitive, at least in his hands, as Oscar Piastri finished very far behind (15th). Let’s wait and see what the B version, scheduled for Silverstone, will offer.

3. Hülkenberg brilliant opportunist

3. Hülkenberg brilliant opportunist

The Grand Prix ended with a retirement for Nico Hülkenberg, who joined Haas at the beginning of the year. But Saturday revealed a consistently strong German driver, with a car capable of capitalizing on the events.

He splendidly rose to 4th place during the shootout and easily outperformed his teammate Kevin Magnussen. And seeing this Haas taking advantage of the battle between the two Red Bulls was a sensational sight, as he held his own against Pérez from 2nd place for a long time.

With the gaps being what they are, it was impossible for Hülkenberg to capitalize (and therefore be duly rewarded) on this magnificent sprint. The car engine decided to give up on Sunday, but it doesn’t matter: this field includes a lot of drivers capable of pulling off remarkable performances. Hülkenberg is one of them.

FLOPS

1. Pérez. What more can be said?

At Red Bull, it seems like the end of playtime has been signaled. Sergio Perez fared well during the sprint, trying to resist Max Verstappen. However, this battle was merely for show during the first few meters, as the Dutch driver easily pulled away towards victory without any difficulties.

Obviously, when you’re driving the best car on the grid, you expect a little bit more from a driver who is behind their teammate. And there’s no point in tempting fate in qualifying on Friday, especially in Q2, with the (exaggerated) track limits.

Even worse: the Mexican driver hasn’t made it past Q2 in the last four Grand Prix… that’s embarrassing. The superiority of the Red Bull has allowed him to climb back to the podium. But the spectators have already bid farewell to the suspense for the 2023 title.

Of course, to his credit, it’s well-known that Red Bull revolves around Max Verstappen’s driving style (which is unsurprising, given that he is the main driver leading the team to victories). But for Pérez, it will be high time to step up his game and at the very least secure double finishes for the Austrian team. Otherwise, watch out for Dr. Marko, who is not known for his patience.

2. Mercedes: The Black Hole

Hamilton was out in Q1 and Russell in Q2 on Friday…are we talking about the Mercedes team? The one that dominated the championship between 2014 and 2020?

This season, a very damaging phenomenon is being observed: as soon as a team performs well in one Grand Prix, they regress in the next one. Aston Martin is no longer fighting for podiums, Alpine falls back to the norm after a good race in Monaco, and Mercedes fails to replicate its strong performance in Barcelona.

In Austria, Lewis Hamilton finished 10th twice in the two races, and Russell did not do better than 7th. Red Bull can indeed rest easy, if its potential rivals continue to pass on the regression, both in terms of pace and results.

Perhaps it will also be necessary to shift resources to 2024. That is the question. But it is clear that, this year, the path to victory no longer seems to be built solely on the hope of a wild race.

3. Suspense, track limits, claims, orders… what’s all this mess?

The American-style Formula 1 does everything it can to try to make the races more exciting. But one can’t help but wonder if the right formula will ever be found, with all the restrictions, rule changes every race, and radios that smoke when it’s time to denounce colleagues.

It is clear that the track limits in Austria have played a crucial role in a general feeling of sterilization. Many observers agree on this. Of course, Formula 1, as the top category, must be strict in its rules. However, the track limits, finely measured to the millimeter, are just the tip of the iceberg: the cars have far too large dimensions in our time.

From the inside, behind the wheel, judging such a narrow track limit with such massive cars inevitably leads to the crossing of a small white line at some point. Not everyone has an easy car to drive, nor necessarily a fast one. So sometimes, you have to push it a little harder. But in this case, achieving results beyond expectations is impossible.

At the end of the day, 1200 infractions were recorded and eight drivers lost positions due to penalties. From a sporting perspective, it is debatable, as we shouldn’t have to wait for Aston Martin’s claim to say “oh yes, let’s take a look.”

This same Aston Martin team, which, despite Fernando Alonso’s justifications, showed a laughable performance during the sprint race. The Spaniard must have known what he was getting into, despite his consistently excellent results.

Added to that is a season that no longer offers much at stake, which will only find salvation in a superb battle for 2nd place among the constructors, between Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Ferrari. If it indeed plays out on the track, and not with the stewards or over the radio.