The farewell commenced on Saturday during the Spielberg F1 Sprint Race. Red Bull’s Verstappen demonstrated why he is arguably the most exceptional driver Formula 1 has ever witnessed. Defending against a fierce double attack from McLaren, led by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, in the six-lap race that turned out to be the Sprint.
However, it was a delightful six-lap display of elegant action. Norris pursued and occasionally buzzed Max ahead before making a sudden move from out of nowhere and taking the lead into Turn 1, with six laps remaining. Verstappen skillfully maneuvered to the outside to avoid the charging Orange car.
The drag race up to Remus, the sharp right Turn 3, saw the #1 car cutting to the inside, surprising Norris, forcing him wide, and allowing Piastri to overtake his teammate as well. And that’s how the positions remained for the next 15 laps.
It was Verstappen’s way of asserting his dominance in F1. And there is no room for debate. A few hours later, he went on to astonish everyone, including himself, with an incredible 0.404s lead over the next best driver on a 65s lap, which is otherworldly and as flawless as it can get.
Therefore, it requires no expert to predict that he will easily outperform his rivals today on the occasion of the 37th Grand Prix in Austria. Unless there is an unforeseen circumstance – with Red Bull providing impeccable service to their World Champion and a packed Orange Bull Ring filled with his loyal fans – Verstappen will win by a significant margin.
What was expected to be a second and third place on today’s grid for McLaren turned into only Norris securing a spot in the top three, as Oscar Piastri’s best performance was invalidated due to exceeding track limits. He believed it was a flawless lap, but the FIA-appointed F1 Stewards disagreed and demoted him to sixth place on the grid.
The young Australian driver will face a tough challenge as Norris gains the upper hand in the McLaren team. Their engine suppliers, Mercedes, will also have confidence in their chances with George Russell starting in third place and Lewis Hamilton in fifth place behind Max. Their car has seen significant improvements, and the Red Bull Ring will further test the theory that they may be competitive in terms of race pace. Today will provide the answer.
Behind the Mercedes cars and following Lando, the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz in fourth place and Charles Leclerc in fifth place line up. The Ferrari team needs a strong result after their disappointing performance in Monaco. It will be interesting to see if they can contend for a podium finish. Sainz would be optimistic if the enigmatic Ferrari cooperates.
Sergio Perez, the experienced Mexican racer, is currently facing harsh criticism from his teammate Verstappen. Interestingly, Perez’s performance took a sharp decline right after Red Bull inexplicably decided to extend his contract. Some speculate that this extension was a way to appease Perez, whose position within the team is constantly questioned.
However, Perez has yet to show his gratitude for this opportunity. It is certainly not easy for any driver to compete against someone like Verstappen, who is unmatched in the same car. Nevertheless, the performance gap between them should be narrower. It is concerning to see Perez starting in P6 on the grid while his teammate comfortably secures P1. Something is amiss, and it seems like Perez has a challenging afternoon ahead as he tries to minimize the damage.
Assuming no incidents occur with these incredibly reliable cars, the top four drivers are expected to finish the race. This leaves only P9 and P10 available for the Formula 1.5 pack who are chasing behind.