On Red Bull’s home soil. Transformed into the Orange Bull Ring in the hills of Spielberg, and supported by 40,000 Dutch fans in attendance, Verstappen delivered a breathtaking lap on the shortest circuit in the F1 calendar, finishing a remarkable 0.404 seconds ahead of Norris from McLaren.
George Russell secured third place for Mercedes, trailing half a second behind the leading time. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claimed fourth position, one spot ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the other Mercedes.
The lead-up to the 11th round of the 2024 F1 World Championship was overshadowed by the revisiting of the conflict between Max’s father, Jos Verstappen, and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. This dispute arose after Jos Verstappen withdrew from a parade featuring the sport’s legends ahead of Sunday’s 71-lap race.
Verstappen Snr alleged that Horner prevented his participation, while Horner denied vetoing Jos Verstappen’s involvement. Although Max acknowledged that the public disagreement between his father and team principal Horner “hasn’t been pleasant” for those involved at Red Bull and “could have been avoided,” he let his performance on the track do the talking with yet another flawless weekend.
Verstappen also secured pole position for Saturday’s 23-lap sprint race, where he displayed a defensive masterclass to hold off Norris and claim victory. Four hours later, Verstappen once again demonstrated his prowess, positioning himself favorably to secure his eighth win of the season and extend his 71-point lead in the championship.
Despite initially challenging Verstappen closely in Saturday’s sprint to the finish line, Norris, who has emerged as Verstappen’s closest competitor, may have hoped for a better outcome in qualifying.
However, in the final attempt during Q3, the 24-year-old English driver lacked the necessary speed to keep up with Verstappen, who is showcasing his exceptional skills in a Red Bull car that is no longer the dominant force in the field. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, could only manage an eighth-place qualifying position, trailing behind by nearly nine-tenths of a second, despite having the same equipment.
Norris, who briefly took the lead in the sprint race before allowing Verstappen to regain it, admitted that the Dutchman is in a league of his own and clearly faster than them. He had to settle for third place.
“It wasn’t a great performance from us today. We will need something extra to go our way if we want to beat Max. I will give it my all and do a better job than I did this morning. It’s a long race and anything can happen, so let’s see what unfolds.”
Following his fourth consecutive pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix and eighth pole position overall this season, Verstappen revealed that he made adjustments to the car’s setup after the earlier Sprint Race, resulting in a noticeable improvement. He mentioned a more stable balance and improved connectivity between the front and rear of the car. Verstappen expressed his satisfaction with the changes, emphasizing how even small adjustments can make a significant difference in lap times. He acknowledged the challenges they have faced this season and highlighted the positive outcome of their setup changes. Verstappen concluded by expressing his hope to replicate their strong performance in the race. (Combined reports from PA Media, Reuters & Agnes Carlier in Spielberg)