After the Monaco Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was leading the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings with 169 points, giving him a 31-point advantage over Charles Leclerc in second place. While Verstappen was performing exceptionally well, his teammate Sergio Perez, on the other hand, was struggling. Red Bull Racing was leading the F1 Constructors’ standings with 276 points, but their lead over Ferrari was only 24 points. This was the situation after Round 8 of the championship.
Since then, the Canadian and Spanish Grands Prix have taken place. As the teams head to Austria, Leclerc has dropped down to third place in the drivers’ standings, with McLaren’s Lando Norris now occupying second place. McLaren has been consistently improving, unlike their Italian rivals.
Leclerc currently has 148 points, 71 points behind Verstappen, who is leading the championship with 219 points. Norris is just two points ahead of Leclerc with 150 points. Red Bull Racing continues to lead the Constructors’ standings, now with a comfortable 60-point lead.
As Ferrari arrives in Spielberg, the team boss, Vasseur, acknowledges the challenges they face. He mentioned that although their upgrades in Spain worked as expected, their competitors have also made progress. The pecking order in qualifying in Barcelona was incredibly tight, with four teams separated by less than three-tenths of a second. The top seven drivers were covered by less than half a second.
Considering the close competition, Vasseur expects the margins to be even smaller in Austria compared to Spain and Canada. Last year’s pole-winning time of 1:04.391s will serve as a benchmark, but the differences are expected to be minimal. Verstappen and Mercedes driver George Russell had set identical times in Canada, but Verstappen had to settle for second place because he set the time later. The competition is incredibly close.
Looking ahead to the race at the Red Bull Ring, Vasseur emphasized the importance of focusing on themselves. The track is short, with a lap time of just over a minute, so even the smallest details can make a significant difference. With the return of the Sprint Race format, the team’s preparations in Maranello become even more crucial. There is only one hour of free practice before qualifying, so everyone in the team, including the drivers, needs to be at their best to capitalize on any opportunities that come their way.
Vasseur expects the team to step up their performance in Austria, especially in qualifying and executing the race. He wants to see Ferrari raise their game as they face strong opponents. This race will mark Vasseur’s 33rd in charge of the iconic Ferrari team.