Austrian Grand Prix: The Editor’s Tops/Flops

The TOPS

George Russell’s time has come.

Third on the grid, George Russell knew how to be patient and discreet to reap the rewards of his opportunism towards the end of the race. On a Mercedes that has been performing well for the past few weekends, the English driver had perfectly anticipated what was going to happen between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. By declaring a few hours before the race that he would be a privileged spectator of the battle between the Red Bull driver and the McLaren driver, Russell knew he had to stay close to the front at the Red Bull Ring. His victory rewards his efforts and those of his team, allowing Toto Wolff’s troops to look ahead to the next Grand Prix with serenity and ambition.

Oscar Piastri, a McLaren can hide another

Whether during the sprint or the race, it’s the McLaren of Lando Norris that should have finished in the top two with Max Verstappen. Qualified second each time, the Englishman ultimately left the praises to his teammate. On Saturday, Oscar Piastri had already seized the opportunity at the front to snatch the second step of the podium from his garage neighbor. The next day, he simply delivered a masterclass. Only seventh on the grid, he first passed Sergio Pérez on turn 6 before making the same move towards the end of the race on Carlos Sainz for second place. In the meantime, he perfectly managed the degradation of his tires by being the last driver to pit among the leaders. If there were still doubts, it’s clear that McLaren has two top drivers in its cars.

Haas, Austria suits them so well.

Contrary to Piastri, both Haas drivers were the first to stop at their pit stop. And it paid off, as this strategy allowed them to finish in the points. To see such an event happening again in the past, we have to go back to 2022 for the Austrian Grand Prix. Furthermore, it was also on the Red Bull Ring that the American team achieved its best result in history with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen finishing 4th and 5th in 2018. In 2024, Haas was by far the fifth strongest team on the grid, with one of them even finishing ahead of a Red Bull. The sixth place in the championship is now within reach for the team based in Banbury.

The FLOPS

Sergio Pérez, this is becoming embarrassing

After failing to qualify in Q3 with one of the best cars on the grid in the last four Grand Prix races, the Mexican driver has finally managed to get back into the top 10 in qualifying. In eighth place, granted, but it was necessary to go back to the Miami Grand Prix to find such a performance. This is the only reason for satisfaction for the Red Bull driver this weekend. In Austria, Pérez once again experienced an anonymous race far from the leaders and especially far from his teammate. It is becoming a habit and the Guadalajara native is currently the eighth best performing driver among the top teams. Watching him on the track, one might think that his recent contract extension in Milton Keynes is miraculous.

Fernando Alonso’s rough draft

The driver of the Aston Martin number 14 in Austria was probably his twin brother. On the hilly Styrian circuit, Alonso delivered a performance far from his usual standards, as if his teammate was rubbing off on him. Only 15th on the grid, the Spaniard battled for a long time with the Alpines before coming too close to Guanyu Zhou’s Sauber. This maneuver will cost him a heavy ten-second penalty and comes in a difficult period for him and his team. Looking forward to the developments on the Silverstone side.

Leclerc and Ferrari lagging behind.

It may seem surprising to find Ferrari among the flops considering Carlos Sainz finished on the podium. However, before the collision between Verstappen and Norris, it was clear that the team with the prancing horse was indeed the fourth force in Austria. Accustomed to podiums at the beginning of the season, the Italian team is now fighting to break into the top 5. Worse, Charles Leclerc was unable to defend his chances as a first corner collision ended his hopes of a good result. The Monegasque seemed absent throughout the weekend and the resurgence of Mercedes will not help him regain his spirits right away. The Reds must quickly bounce back as McLaren continues to close in on the second place in the championship.