One of the burning questions following the Austrian Grand Prix was whether Max Verstappen and/or Lando Norris would change their racing style following a dramatic late-race collision that ended both drivers’ chances of securing a victory.
According to Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, Verstappen will not be changing a thing.
Speaking with Sky Sportsahead of the British Grand Prix the Red Bull boss backed his driver’s approach while noting that future incidents between Norris and Verstappen should be expected given how both drivers are performing at the moment.
“Certainly, from Max’s side, he’s not going to change,” said Horner.
“There’s an element, I think, of Lando learning how to race Max and they’re discovering that. Inevitably, there is going to be more close racing between the two of them as the cars look so close over the forthcoming races.
“Max is a hard racer – he’s probably one of the hardest racers on the circuit and everybody knows that if you’re going to race against Max, he’s going to give as good as he gets.”
Horner also addressed comments made by McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella immediately after the race. Speaking with Sky Sports F1 analyst Ted Kravitz, Stella outlined how the reluctance of race stewards to intervene in the past — such as during the 2021 season when Verstappen was battling with Lewis Hamilton — led to moments like the incident in Austria.
As you might expect, Horner had a different view.
“He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he’s a tough racer, and he hasn’t really been racing anyone for two years because he’s been out front so much,” Horner said.
“The conflict between the two of them has been building over two, three, four races where they’ve been racing each other closely and hard, and at some point that was always going to spill over – and it did at Turn 3,” began Horner. “He was punished in 2021 if he did something wrong just as Lewis, who he was racing so hard that year, was for things he did wrong.
“I think it’s wrong and unfair to label a driver like that and I’m sure in the heat of the moment it was frustrating for Andrea, but that’s just tough racing. He worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for so many years – he of all people should know that.”
During his discussion with Sky Sports, Horner also addressed another burning question following the Austrian Grand Prix: Have Norris and Verstappen discussed the incident?
According to the Red Bull boss, that chat has already happened.
“I understand they’ve spoken already, I don’t think there is any issue,” added Horner.
How the two drivers handle similar battles going forward will be a major storyline throughout the rest of the 2024 campaign. But one thing is clear:
The FIA Press Conference schedules for this weekend’s British Grand Prix — which have yet to be announced — could be fascinating.
This weekend’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix is a home race for many teams, given that several factories are located near the historic Silverstone circuit. Williams is among those teams, as their Grove factory is just 41 miles down the A43 from Silverstone.
As such, Williams is going all out for this week’s race.
Among several activations the team has planned for the week is a London Fan Zone, right in the heart of Piccadilly Circus. But the most stunning plan the team has for the week is their theme livery for the British Grand Prix itself, a one-off “Union Jack” design that features not only the iconic flag of the United Kingdom but also the names of “all 1,005 team members” on the car itself:
According to the team’s official announcement, the FW46 will be “ … transformed to fly the flag in thanks and appreciation to everyone at the team’s Grove HQ, New York and London bases and at races who are working tirelessly on our mission to return the team to the front of the grid.”
“Silverstone is always one of the highlights of the year and I’m delighted we are thanking our staff as the centrepiece of our home race celebrations. Williams is transforming from top to bottom so we can fight our way back to the front, and our people and culture will be key to that success,” said Team Principal James Vowles. “It takes extraordinary effort from every individual at the factory and at track to race in Formula 1, and I’m especially proud of the resilience whilst under pressure we have demonstrated so far this year.”
Driver Logan Sargeant praised the design as the “perfect” tribute.
“I’ve always loved racing at Silverstone. The track has everything a driver wants with its quick and flowing nature,” said Sargeant. “I have fond memories of this place throughout my career, and it’s always been one that I’ve performed well at. Racing with the names of every single team member on the car is the perfect way to mark everyone’s hard work and a home race for Williams.”
One of the most climactic moments in recent Formula 1 memory took place just a few short days ago when an on-track battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen — that has been brewing for weeks — finally boiled over. A collision between the two on Lap 64 of the Austrian Grand Prix kicked off hours of debate over who was at fault, and speculation about what lies ahead.
However, the time for talking draws to a close quickly this week, as the British Grand Prix at the historic Silverstone Circuit is set to get underway, the final race of an F1 tripleheader that has taken the grid from Barcelona to Austria and now Silverstone … while changing the complexion of the F1 season.
Here are the tk burning questions ahead of the British Grand Prix.
Where do Max and Lando go from here?
This question is critical not just for the British Grand Prix, but for the rest of the 2024 F1 season, if not beyond.
Where do Lando Norris and Max Verstappen go from here?
Is their on-track battle which has been simmering for weeks — and the subsequent Lap 64 collision — the moment that changes everything on the grid? Or will a few days of respite and some internal discussions, perhaps even a pint or two, see both parties move on from the incident and turn the page? And what happens if, as expected, these two lock horns in Silverstone or beyond? Will either driver approach things differently in the wake of Austria?
Over on social media at least, there is hope that in the days and weeks ahead the two teams and drivers emphasize hard but fair racing, as the “Norris versus Verstappen” battle that is shaping up looks to be the most intriguing title fight since 2021. But, as we will note in a minute, that season was not without its share of controversial moments, beyond the final laps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Then there is the potential for what things look like at Media Day Thursday. The bevy of post-race questions and answers in Austria seemed primed to build the incident into something even bigger, but will the assembled media look to move beyond the incident itself and to the future, or will the incident and what it means on a personal level be the focus?
Then there is the fact that the grid leaves Austria and Red Bull Ring behind to make the trip across the English Channel to Silverstone and the British Grand Prix, a home race for Norris. Will what is sure to be a charged environment factor into the equation?
Where Norris and Verstappen go from here is the burning question in the sport right now, and starting in just a few hours we will get our first glimpse at how that question is answered.
How will race officials handle things going forward?
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
One of the more fascinating viewpoints on the Norris-Verstappen clash came from McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella. As you might expect, the McLaren boss backed his driver to the fullest.
But he also had some criticism for how race officials have handled similar battles in the past.
Speaking with Ted Kravitz of Sky Sports F1 immediately after the Austrian Grand Prix, Stella pointed to how race stewards often took a hands-off approach in the past. “I see that the entire population in the world would know who is responsible except for a group of people,” began the McLaren boss to Kravitz.
“But the problem behind it is that if you don’t address these things honestly, they will come back. They have come back today because they were not addressed properly in the past when there were some fights with Lewis [Hamilton] that needed to be punished in a harsher way. You learn now to race in a certain way, which we can consider fair and square.”
Kravitz immediately pointed to the 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix which saw a similar duel between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, and an incident where it appeared to many watching that Verstappen had forced Hamilton off the track. But race officials took no further action.
You can see that incident here and make your own determination.
Returning to Stella, the McLaren boss indicated that Brazil 2021 was just one of “many” such incidents.
“Yes, there is many episodes,” continued the McLaren boss. “The fact is that we have so much respect for Red Bull, so much respect for Max – they don’t need to do this. It’s a way to almost compromise your reputation. Why would you do that?”
Stella then concluded his thoughts with Kravitz.
“I think the stewards found that Max was fully to blame in this episode. So it’s not about racing in a drivers’ way, it’s about racing within the regulations,” said Stella. “And the regulations must be enforced in a way that is effective, because when a car is out of the race as a consequence of this accident, the punishment needs to be proportionate to the outcome.
“And we had twice before that episode moving under braking. So I think it’s just evident we have to enforce the way to go racing because we want to have fun, we want to enjoy.”
So that leads us to the race stewards now, and how they will handle matters going forward. They may point to the penalty handed down to Verstappen in Austria — the ten-second penalty along with two points on his Super License finding him “predominantly at fault” for the collision — as a sign that they are intervening to ward off any further incidents on the track. Perhaps they are right. But you best believe that if the #1 and the #4 come close this weekend, a lot of eyes will be watching.
Not just the two drivers, but the race stewards as well.
Can Meredes keep their hot streak going?
As we have noted over the past few days the hottest team in F1 over the past three race weekends?
Mercedes.
Upgrades the team started rolling out at the Miami Grand Prix began bearing fruit in Imola and Monaco but turned into something of a bumper crop since then. Over the past three race weekends, the Silver Arrows have banked 100 points, more than any other team on the grid, including both Red Bull and McLaren.
And as we will see in a moment, much more than Ferrari.
Can Mercedes keep this streak going at Silverstone?
Word out of the team was optimistic on that front in the hours after George Russell’s win in Austria. In the team’s post-race report on Sunday Lewis Hamilton noted that Silverstone might suit the current configuration of the W15. “We now look ahead to Silverstone,” said Hamilton. “It is always such a special weekend, and I can’t wait to see all the fans there. It is a track that should hopefully suit us a little better than here in Austria so let’s see what we can do.”
Along similar lines, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff outlined that the success in Austria on a track that has not always been fertile ground for the team illustrates just how far they have come. “We now look forward to Silverstone next week. We are encouraged by our overall performance this weekend at a track that has not normally been a [favorite] for our cars,” said Wolff. “Our aim over the next few races is to continue to show progress and aim to get closer to the front.”
Can they keep it rolling this week?
Will we finally learn where Carlos Sainz Jr. is headed?
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
The clash between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen knocked what was the top-line question on the mind of everyone associated with F1:
Where is Carlos Sainz Jr. headed for next season?
Sainz remains the big fish in the driver transfer market, and while all signs pointed to the Spanish driver signing on the dotted line with Williams for next year, Alpine has emerged in recent weeks as a serious contender for his services.
Sainz outlined ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix that a decision was coming “soon,” but seemed to take a different approach in the moments after his podium finish in Austria. When asked about his contract situation after finishing third in the Austrian Grand Prix Sainz indicated he was not going to be pressured into deciding before he was ready.
“As I said before, for sure that pressure, I’m not going to receive it on a Sunday afternoon after a podium we are keen to enjoy. As I said before, I think it’s sometimes, like George was saying, we take it for granted when we’re on one of these podiums, celebrating, wearing a Ferrari suit, and I was thinking, try to enjoy this moment because who knows when it’s going to be the next time in the future,” said Sainz at the post-race FIA Press Conference Sunday. “So as much as maybe there are some teams that are nervous or pressuring me, it’s time for me also to enjoy this moment of being on a podium.
“And I’m going to be honest and straightforward with the teams, but it’s such an important decision for me also that I’m going to take all the time that I need to take it. And if there’s teams that cannot wait or are a bit impatient, I cannot do anything about it. It’s going to be my future, my decision, and I’m going to try and be as honest as possible with everyone and give myself the time that I need.”
If — hypothetically — Sainz were to sign with Williams, announcing it ahead of the British Grand Prix might be something the Grove-based outfit would be keen to do. Will that be what happens this week, or will this decision linger past the British Grand Prix, and perhaps into the summer shutdown and beyond?
If so, will that open the driver market floodgates?
If Sainz does announce his 2025 destination this week, will that open the 2025 driver floodgates?
Multiple drivers in recent weeks have pointed to Sainz as, to use the phrasing utilized by Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, the “cork in the bottle.” Speaking ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix during the FIA Press Conference Magnussen raised that notion when asked about his F1 future.
“He is,” said Magnussen while gesturing to Sainz when asked about why a decision was taking so long. “Carlos is the cork in the bottle. I think a lot of guys are waiting for him to make a move and then eventually all the other pieces of the puzzle will fall. That’s the truth of that.”
Magnussen found support in Zhou Guanyu a week later. During the Thursday driver press conference, the Kick Sauber driver had this to say when asked about his 2025 plans. “Like, it’s very easy to say: we’re all waiting for what Carlos wants to decide at the end of the day. But hopefully he can make his decision sooner,” said Zhou. “And then I think that will just turn around a lot the driver market.”
Looking at the options in front of teams and drivers alike, you can see how Sainz is that proverbial “cork in the bottle.” Assuming for the sake of this hypothetical Sainz decides to sign with Williams, which takes away one more seat for the drivers looking for a ride. That might see Alpine move towards either Jack Doohan or Mick Schumacher as an option, then Valtteri Bottas contemplating a return to Kick Sauber, and then perhaps Esteban Ocon taking one of the spots at Haas.
However, should Sainz shock the paddock and sign with Alpine, then the Williams seat could be the landing spot for Bottas, opening up Zhou for a return to Kick Sauber, and then on down the line.
So if Sainz does declare his 2025 intentions, it could certainly set several moves into motion.
If Sainz does announce his 2025 destination this week, will that open the 2025 driver floodgates?
Multiple drivers in recent weeks have pointed to Sainz as, to use the phrasing utilized by Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, the “cork in the bottle.” Speaking ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix during the FIA Press Conference Magnussen raised that notion when asked about his F1 future.
“He is,” said Magnussen while gesturing to Sainz when asked about why a decision was taking so long. “Carlos is the cork in the bottle. I think a lot of guys are waiting for him to make a move and then eventually all the other pieces of the puzzle will fall. That’s the truth of that.”
Magnussen found support in Zhou Guanyu a week later. During the Thursday driver press conference, the Kick Sauber driver had this to say when asked about his 2025 plans. “Like, it’s very easy to say: we’re all waiting for what Carlos wants to decide at the end of the day. But hopefully he can make his decision sooner,” said Zhou. “And then I think that will just turn around a lot the driver market.”
Looking at the options in front of teams and drivers alike, you can see how Sainz is that proverbial “cork in the bottle.” Assuming for the sake of this hypothetical Sainz decides to sign with Williams, which takes away one more seat for the drivers looking for a ride. That might see Alpine move towards either Jack Doohan or Mick Schumacher as an option, then Valtteri Bottas contemplating a return to Kick Sauber, and then perhaps Esteban Ocon taking one of the spots at Haas.
However, should Sainz shock the paddock and sign with Alpine, then the Williams seat could be the landing spot for Bottas, opening up Zhou for a return to Kick Sauber, and then on down the line.
So if Sainz does declare his 2025 intentions, it could certainly set several moves into motion.
Can Ferrari stop the bleeding?
Forget Sainz’s future team, what about his present one?
As noted above Mercedes has been the hottest team in F1 over the past three race weekends. But looking at the top four teams in the Constructors’ Championship standings, the team that has been the coldest?
Ferrari.
While Mercedes leads the way with 100 points over that period, followed by 84 for McLaren and 79 for Red Bull, Ferrari has just 39 points during this recent stretch. Following Charles Leclerc’s triumphant drive at the Monaco Grand Prix (and a podium finish for Sainz in that race), Ferrari has struggled.
Ferrari endured a difficult week in Montreal, as they endured a points-less result in the Canadian Grand Prix. Barcelona was a step better, as Leclerc delivered a P5 and Sainz a P6, but Austria saw another step back for Leclerc, as he finished seventh in the F1 Sprint Race, and out of the points in the main event.
Sainz salvaged something bigger for the team with his podium finish in the Austrian Grand Prix, but the Scuderia have seen their rivals either pull closer to them in the standings (looking at McLaren and Mercedes) or pull further away from them in Red Bull’s case.
Can they turn things around at Silverstone?
“I think, if anything, it just proves that the last two weekends haven’t been easy,” said Sainz on Sunday when asked about the team’s recent struggles. “We’ve been always the first Ferrari finishing behind the first Mercedes. Even if you count Canada, you could argue those three weekends in a row. So I think Red Bull and McLaren were in a league of their own this weekend. Then there was a step. There was George and me battling for that P3, P4. And yeah, that was not the situation at the beginning of the year.
“So it shows that we need to work hard. We need to understand what’s happened the last couple of races. And once we understand it, hopefully already for Silverstone, we can bring a step and improve our performance.”
Regarding Silverstone, Sainz indicated that the team was working hard back in Maranello to try and deliver the upgrades needed to boost performance, particularly in the higher-speed corners.
“Well, I see the factory pushing flat out, you know, to understand the troubles that we’ve hit in the last couple of weekends and trying to bring already for Silverstone a package that allows us to perform a bit better in the high-speed corners because it’s clearly been our weakness,” said Sainz. “Yesterday, Max was so much quicker through there, but not only Max, also Mercedes and McLaren were a clear step ahead of us in those type of corners. And we know Silverstone is the king of the high speed, so we need to do a step. Obviously, we want to be competitive there. And we are going to fight everything we can and try to find everything we can, sorry, to make ourselves more competitive there.”
With the quick turnaround, Ferrari is under tremendous pressure to deliver this weekend and stem the tide.
Which young driver shines in practice?
Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images
Two teams have already announced that young drivers will be handling driving duties in at least one practice session at Silverstone. Williams announced that Franco Colapinto would be stepping in for Logan Sargeant during FP1, while Oliver Bearman will be getting in the cockpit of the VF-24 for the third of his six scheduled practice sessions for Haas this season. Bearman’s most recent FP1 session for Haas came at the Spanish Grand Prix when he finished 19th out of 20 drivers in the opening segment of practice.
For Colapinto, this is just his second time in the cockpit of an F1 car, and his first F1 session. His debut in an F1 car came at post-season testing in Abu Dhabi last winter.
“I have so many emotions. I am extremely delighted and it’s a very important moment in my life and my career. I will be the most prepared I can; I will be doing a lot of laps in the simulator and studying the details needed to drive this year’s car. I’m really looking forward to experiencing the new car after driving last year’s in Abu Dhabi,” said Colapinto in the team’s announcement. “To be able to drive it at a track like Silverstone is a privilege, it is one of my favourite tracks and to drive it at the team’s home race means a lot. To all the Argentine fans – I hope you enjoy FP1 as much as I’m going to! It’s an important moment for our country and I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve been given. I’m going to give my all to make you proud!”
For Bearman, however, this is his third stint in a practice session for Haas this season, and it comes not only in a season where he made his F1 debut — and scored his first points — replacing an ailing Carlos Sainz Jr. in Saudi Arabia, but also as many expect he will be in a seat at Haas full-time next year.
And Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu admitted earlier this year that Bearman was “under consideration” for a seat. “Of course we are evaluating him,” said Komatsu. “If he is not [under] consideration, we wouldn’t be running him in FP1.”
How will these two young drivers take to the track this weekend, and will Bearman inch closer to a full-time spot in the grid?
As the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix drew to a close, the fight was on.
A slow pit stop from Red Bull and Max Verstappen opened the door, and Lando Norris barged through the crack. When the two drivers came down pit lane for their final pit stops Verstappen enjoyed a lead of around seven seconds over his friend and rival, but problems on the left rear tire of Verstappen’s RB20 saw the stop last 6.5 seconds, an eternity in F1 terms.
McLaren answered with a stop of just 2.9 seconds, and as the two race leaders lumbered off of pit lane and back onto the track, Norris was within striking distance of Verstappen.
For over ten laps the two pushed themselves, and each other, to the limits. Norris briefly seized the lead for a moment, but with his overtake coming off the track he quickly surrendered the position back to Verstappen. As the two drivers were fighting on the track, they were taking their battle to the stewards via their teams, with both drivers griping about the conduct from their rival over the radio.
Finally, that simmering pot boiled over.
Norris got a run on Verstappen at the start of Lap 64 and seemed to have the edge heading into Turn 3, but as both drivers made the turn Verstappen looked to fend him off, and the two cars came together:
The result? A puncture for both drivers, and an opportunity for George Russell. The Mercedes driver seized the moment, taking the checkered flag for the second victory of his career, and was celebrating on the podium as both Norris and Verstappen licked their wounds.
Verstappen tumbled down to a fifth-place finish — a result that he maintained despite race stewards handing down a ten-second penalty for ruling that he caused the contact between the two — but Norris saw his race end, a bitter result given what seemed possible just moments prior.
Speaking after the race both drivers addressed the incident.
“I’m disappointed, nothing more than that, honestly,” Norris told Sky Sports F1. “It was a good race. I looked forward to probably I’d say just a fair battle, a strong fair battle. But I wouldn’t say that’s what it was in the end.
“Tough one to take. It was a mistake-free race from my side, and I feel like I did a good job but I got taken out of the race, so nothing more than that,” added Norris. “But it’s still a tough one to take when we’re fighting for the win and I’m trying to be fair from my side and he just wasn’t. That’s not what I’m thinking about. I don’t care about that now. I’m just gutted for the team.”
The McLaren driver also indicated that he expected stewards to intervene in the moments before the climactic collision.
“Yeah. I mean there’s a rule. You’re not allowed to react to the other driver and that’s what he did three times out of three. Two times I managed to avoid it and not lock up and run into him, and the third time he just ran into me,” continued Norris. “I was just trying to drive my race. He was clearly a lot slower at the end. He ruined his own race just as much as he ruined mine. There’s nothing more I can do. I did my best and it was good enough. Got ruined through not my own fault.”
On the other side of the clash the Red Bull driver offered his view of the incident.
“Of course from the outside it’s hard to see when I brake. I know in the past it was a bit of a complaint,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“Now I always move my wheel before I brake then you brake in a straight line trajectory. It’s always easy to say on the outside that I’m moving under the braking, but I think the guy in the car knows best what he’s doing,” continued Verstappen. “Everyone can have their own opinion but I’m the one driving. I’m in control. Of course, from the outside it’s easy to judge and comment but whatever, it’s what happens.”
Pressed on the incident, Verstappen indicated that he would speak with Norris to discuss the matter. “I need to look back at how or why we touched,” he said. “Of course, we will talk about it. It’s just unfortunate it happened.
“I felt like sometimes he dive-bombed so late on the brakes. One time he went straight. One time I had to go around otherwise we would have touched,” continued Verstappen. “I think it’s also the shape of the corner provides these kind of issues sometimes. I’ve had it also the other way around. It is what it is. It’s never nice to come together.”
The convergence at the front of the F1 grid these past few weeks has foreshadowed a moment like this between the two friends, who have now become rivals at the sharp end of the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings. And in many ways the struggle from Red Bull in the pits that opened the door to this climactic ending in Austria was foreshadowed in Miami by none other than Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur.
Speaking to the media, including SB Nation, in the Ferrari hospitality space in the hours after Lando Norris’ maiden F1 victory Vasseur noted how the increased pressure teams like Ferrari and McLaren were putting on Red Bull could lead to mistakes from the usually mistake-free operation.
“What is true is that compared to one year ago when we are able to do a good job and to put everything together, we are there, it means that we are putting [Red Bull] a little bit under pressure. They have to take to be a bit more aggressive with the strategy,” started Vasseur that Sunday night.
“They are not anymore in the comfort zone of last year when last year that doesn’t matter what’s happened after lap two, they were in front and it’s, I think it’s a game changer in the management of the race,” added Vasseur. “And this, it’s an opportunity for us because that if we are doing another small step, I think that we will be really in a position to fight with them every single weekend.”
Sunday’s slow pit stop from Red Bull, and the ensuing fight between Verstappen and Norris, is exactly what Vasseur was envisioning.
The incident between Norris and Verstappen will certainly be debated in the hours and days to come, but there is no rest for the weary as the grid heads to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix next weekend, the final race of a tripleheader. But what will be critical to watch over those coming hours and days will be how these two drivers respond going forward.
Will Sunday’s incident be just a flashpoint, or yet more foreshadowing of how the rest of the 2024 F1 season will unfold?
Those were the words of Mercedes driver George Russell, as he spoke with his team just moments after taking the checkered flag at the Austrian Grand Prix in stunning fashion. One might be excused for believing there was some bewilderment behind Russell’s comment, given how the race stood just minutes prior. Russell was running in third, behind the climactic fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, but he kept himself in striking distance, giving himself a chance to capitalize if something happened at the front.
Something did happen, a collision between Norris and Verstappen that ended the McLaren driver’s day and saw Verstappen limp back to the pits with a puncture of his own. The door was open for Russell, and the British driver barged through, capturing the second Grand Prix win of his Formula 1 career, and the first for Mercedes this season.
“It was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race,” said Russell to David Coulthard trackside immediately following his stunning victory. “The team has worked so hard, we’ve made so many strides since the start of the season. The last three races have been incredible, and there’s more to come … what an exciting time for us.”
Indeed it is an exciting time for the Silver Arrows. Mercedes struggled out of the gate this season, and arrived in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix just a few short weeks ago languishing in fourth place in the F1 Constructors’ Championship standings.
They were a staggering 180 points behind first-place Red Bull, and 156 points behind Ferrari.
But then came signs of life. The first signs came at the Canadian Grand Prix when Russell captured pole position, and while he could not hold off at the front of the race he secured the team’s first Grand Prix podium of the year with a third-place finish, to go with a second place from Lewis Hamilton in the F1 Sprint Race at the Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton matched Russell’s P3 with one of his own in Barcelona.
Then came Sunday.
With Russell’s win and a fourth-place finish from Lewis Hamilton — along with their results from Saturday’s F1 Sprint Race — Mercedes banked another 45 points in the standings. Making them the hottest team on the grid over those three race weekends.
Here is what the teams at the top of the grid have done over this period:
Red Bull: 79 McLaren: 84 Ferrari: 39 Mercedes: 100
That has seen Mercedes cut not only into Red Bull’s lead over them, but pull to within 95 points of Ferrari up in second place.
A stunning turnaround for the Silver Arrows.
“Incredible! That’s the only way I can describe it. We had a tough fight in the early stages to make sure we held on to P3. That would prove crucial at the end,” said Norris in the team’s post-race report. “I could see that Max [Verstappen] and Lando [Norris] were having a big battle. We were only just over ten seconds behind the pair of them, which is really encouraging pace-wise.
“I knew there was a possibility that they could come together, even if it was only a slim chance. You have to be there at the end to pick up the pieces and that’s exactly where we were. I am so proud to be back on the top step of the podium.”
“It is a great feeling to get back on to the top step of the podium. It is a fantastic reward for the hard work and efforts of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth. We have taken good steps forward in recent races, and we are excited about what is still to come,” described Team Principal Toto Wolff. “We knew our outright pace today wouldn’t quite be enough to challenge for victory. We therefore made sure we [maximized] our race and were able to pick up the pieces, should anything happen. We enjoyed some good fortune but that is motor racing.”
On the other side of the garage Hamilton — whose fourth-place finish added another 12 points to that tally for the team — hailed the effort these past few weeks from the entire organization.
“Congratulations to George and the team. Everyone at Brackley and Brixworth really deserves this result,” offered Hamilton. “They have worked so hard to bring performance to the car and we are starting to get us closer and closer to the very front. We put in so much effort so to get a result like this is a well-deserved reward for everyone’s efforts.”
The grid now shifts home for Mercedes, for next weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. While the fight at the front — and the collision between Norris and Verstappen that opened the door for Russell in the first place — will likely dominate the headlines the surge from Mercedes is absolutely worthy of note.
A year ago it was McLaren who pulled off a surge of their own, rocketing up the Constructors’ Championship to ultimately finish fourth. Their turnaround showed its first signs of life in Austria, where Russell just captured Mercedes’ first win of the season.
The Silver Arrows showed their own signs of a turnaround a few weeks earlier than that. So it might be fair to ask: Just how high can Mercedes climb this year?
Daniel Ricciardo’s millions of fans might want him to keep making predictions.
A year ago at the Mexico City Grand Prix the Formula 1 driver declared that his car had top ten potential after the first two practice sessions. Ricciardo proved that over the next two days, qualifying fourth for the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix and then finishing seventh in the main event. It was Ricciardo’s best result after his shocking mid-season return to the grid, and went a long way towards him keeping that seat for the 2024 campaign.
On Saturday at Red Bull Ring Ricciardo just missed out on Q3, finishing 0.015 seconds behind tenth-place finisher Esteban Ocon. That saw Ricciardo’s qualifying session for the Austrian Grand Prix end in Q2, but the Australian driver remained as optimistic as ever, offering another slight prediction following qualifying.
“Of course, it’s frustrating to miss out on Q3 by just a few milliseconds this afternoon, but at the same time, it’s a more positive one as I think we made some progress since yesterday and it’s something we have to be proud of,” said Ricciardo in Visa Cash App RB F1 Team’s post-qualifying report Saturday. “I think we still need to find something a little bit extra for tomorrow but today’s qualifying put us in a much better position for the race. It’s going to be a longer one with pit stops and [tire] differences, so there’s no reason to believe we can’t be a top ten car tomorrow.”
On Sunday, Ricciardo proved himself right.
Ricciardo started his 250th-career F1 race in P11, but moved up into the top ten, running a clean race to secure P9 and add two massive points to his account on the year. The team used an early pit stop, allowing Ricciardo to undercut some of his competitors on the track, particularly the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
Following the race, the driver talked about the “step forward” on his side of the garage.
“It was a tough race and I think we were a bit more on the [defense], so it took a lot of concentration and effort,” said Ricciardo in the team’s post-race report. “I had a good start on the outside and was looking good, but then I lost a couple of positions as there was no more room and I had to go wide.
“Once we settled after the start of the race, I think we did well; the team did a good job with the strategy to secure the position over the Alpines, and then I feel like I drove a good defence against Fernando [Alonso] and then Pierre [Gasly] in the last stint. We made a nice step from Barcelona, and it’s been a better weekend, so I’m happy to bring home some points. Now we’ll try to make another good step forward for Silverstone and then maybe that puts us in another fight for points.”
The finish comes at a time the Australian driver badly needed a result like this finish. The week of the Australian Grand Prix began with renewed questions about Ricciardo’s future in the sport. Between Dr. Helmut Marko outlining how Red Bull shareholders might want to see a younger driver in the seat — cue the camera pan to Liam Lawson — and noted F1 journalist Joe Saward speculating that Lawson might be in the seat before summer gives way to autumn, to say Ricciardo was under pressure would be an understatement.
The VCARB driver noted that pressure on Thursday, outlining how his “performance” and not his trademark smile would be the reason he kept his seat on the grid.
Sunday, following yet another prediction from him, Ricciardo delivered the kind of performance he needed.
At the start of the Spanish Grand Prix last week a fight at the front of the field between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris off the start opened the door for George Russell to sweep into the lead. However, as you know by now Verstappen eventually wound his way by Russell, holding off Norris down the stretch to capture the Spanish Grand Prix.
Something similar played out at Red Bull Ring on Sunday, but with a much different result.
For around 50 laps of the Austrian Grand Prix it seemed as if Max Verstappen was going to run away from the field, as the Red Bull driver had built a commanding lead over Lando Norris and the rest of the field. The feeling that the other ten teams, the other 19 drivers, and perhaps the overwhelming majority of fans watching around the world was one of dread, at the sight – and potential – that Verstappen was going to run away not just on this day, but over the rest of the days this season.
However, moments later the door opened, just a crack, and the fight was on.
A slow pit stop from Verstappen and Red Bull on Lap 51 – coupled with a much quicker stop from Norris and McLaren – opened that door. Red Bull struggled with the left rear tire on Verstappen’s RB20, leading to a pit stop of 6.5 seconds for Red Bull. McLaren bested that with a 2.9-second stop for Norris, and the two lumbered off pit lane with Norris nipping at Verstappen’s heels.
For over ten laps the two friends-turned-rivals battled it out pushing their machines, each other, and themselves to the absolute limits. At one point Norris got by Verstappen, but the overtake came off the track and the McLaren driver immediately gave the position back. Both drivers were all over the track – and their radio – griping to their teams and airing their frustrations as they pushed their machines to the limit.
Then, on 63, the simmering pot that was this fight between friends boiled over.
On Lap 63 the fight was renewed, and it ended poorly for both drivers. The two drivers came alongside each other and contact was made, with a disastrous result for both. Norris and Verstappen both limped back to the pits with punctures, bringing out the safety car and seeing another driver sweep into the lead.
George Russell.
As the laps ticked down Wolff looked on with a shy smile, seeing the silver and black W15 of Russell’s wind around the track. Oscar Piastri was more than two second behind, and Russell just needed to bring his W15 home to deliver his second-career victory.
He did just that.
“It’s not over, until it’s over,” declared Russell on the radio to his team after taking the checkered flag. “We wouldn’t have thought this in Bahrain. Well done.”
Starting at the Miami Grand Prix, Mercedes began a series of upgrades to the W15, their challenger for the 2024 season. Those upgrades have seen the team improve their performance in recent weeks, marked by their first grand prix podiums of the year. The first came from Russell in Montreal, and the second from Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona. But those were P3 finishes.
This is a win, the first for the team since Russell won in Brazil back in 2022.
“It was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race,” said Russell to David Coulthard trackside. “The team has worked so hard, we’ve made so many strides since the start of the season. The last three races have been incredible, and there’s more to come … what an exciting time for us.”
Much will be said and written in the coming days about the fight between Norris and Verstappen, and whether these friends will see their relationship start to change given the fight at the sharp end of the grid. But on this day a winner emerged, and it was Russell, who fought to the very end and delivered a victory that Mercedes badly needed. A win that not only helps their standing in the Constructors’ Championship but also rewards the hours upon hours of work that the team has put in to solve the issues with the W15. At the Miami Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton described the car at that point in the season to the media, including SB Nation, as being on a “knife’s edge.”
That edge is something very different right now.
And it might be enough to get Mercedes to the sharp end of the grid too.
At the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix last Formula 1 season, track limits were a massive part of the story. Lap times being deleted for the violation dominated the entire race weekend and even led to an official protest from Aston Martin, who argued that race officials failed to catch every instance of the violation.
Race promoters at the Red Bull Ring took steps to mitigate the issue ahead of this year’s Austrian Grand Prix, installing gravel traps around Turns 9 and 10 to try and dissuade drivers from running wide at those sections of the track, and even adding another feature: An artificial intelligence system to monitor cars as they rocket around the track. Fans watching this weekend might have seen a new pale blue line around the circuit, installed to help the AI system catch violations.
Despite the best efforts of the race officials in Austria, we still have a track limits issue to discuss, and potentially a protest from a team regarding them for the second-straight season.
In the closing stages of Q3, it appeared Oscar Piastri was set for a third-place start in Saturday’s Austrian Grand Prix, as a strong lap had him up in P3 as the seconds ticked down. But within moments, Piastri was dropped down to seventh, as his impressive lap was deleted for you guessed it, exceeding track limits.
You can see the moment in question here:
Speaking with Sky Sports F1following the session, Piastri vented his frustration.
“For me it’s embarrassing,” began the Australian driver. “We did all of this work for track limits, put gravel in places, and I didn’t even go off the track. I stayed on the track. It was probably my best Turn Six and it gets deleted. I don’t know why they’ve spent hundreds of thousands trying to change the last two corners when you still have corners you can go off.
“That was probably the best Turn Six I took. I was right to the limit of the track, I think that’s what everyone wants to see,” continued Piastri. “Again, we have spent so much effort trying to get rid of these problems. There is no reason this corner should be an issue for track limits, especially when you stay on the track, like I did, or not on the gravel.
“So, yeah, for me being the only one that has had that happen to me I’m probably more vocal about it right now but I think it’s embarrassing that you see us pushing right to the limit of what we can do and one [centimeter] more I’m in the gravel and completing ruin my lap anyway – and it gets deleted.”
Piastri, however, seemed resigned to his fate. “But, anyway, everyone else kept it in the track, I didn’t,” concluded the McLaren driver. “That’s how it goes.”
Yet, his team may not concur with that bit of resignation. Following the session McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella was spotted headed to speak with FIA officials regarding the decision:
Andrea Stella has gone to the FIA to understand more about Oscar Piastri’s track limits time deletion – doesn’t appear to be convinced #F1#AustrianGP
A “horrified” Yuki Tsunoda has issued an apology after race officials fined the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team driver €40,000 for using ableist language during Saturday’s qualifying session at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
Tsunoda was summoned to meet with race officials following the qualifying session, after an exchange with race engineer Mattia Spini during the first segment of qualifying. As Tsunoda was waiting in his RB01 as cars queued up during Q1 Tsunoda exclaimed over his team radio “[t]he guys are f——— r———-,” to which Spini replied simply “Yuki no worries, don’t worry, plenty of time.”
When Tsunoda met with race officials, he apologized for the comment and explained that because English is not his first language, he was not fully aware of the meaning of his comments. According to the decision from race officials the statement violated Article 12.2.1 k) of the International Sporting Code in the following manner:
“[d]uring the hearing the driver was very apologetic and explained that because English is not his first language he was unaware until after the session what the meaning of the words used is in the English language. He said that he was horrified when he learned this. He contended that his understanding of the words was different, but acknowledged that this should not be considered as an excuse for what he did.”
In their decision race officials noted that while they appreciate Tsunoda’s “honesty,” a penalty is appropriate to “reinforce the fact that the words used are offensive and wholly inappropriate.”
“The Stewards appreciate the honesty of the driver, but reinforce the fact the words used are offensive and wholly inappropriate. To have used such words over a platform that is available to the public amounted to misconduct as defined in Article 20 of the International Sporting Code,” read the decision.
However, officials took Tsunoda’s “genuine remorse” into consideration and suspended part of the fine. “Considering the circumstances, the Stewards determine that a severe fine is required, but also take into account the genuine remorse of the driver and his offer to issue a public apology and for these reasons decided to suspend part of the fine imposed,” continued the stewards.
Under this part of the decision half of the fine — €20,000 —- will be suspended until the end of the season providing Tsunoda does not repeat such conduct.
As indicated by the officials, the driver issued a public apology on all his social media channels:
Hello, I wanted to say big apologies what I said in the radio today. Obviously I didn’t use it intentionally and was completely misunderstanding from myself that exact meaning of it. I now have better understanding for what the word means and am very apologetic for what I said.…
A year ago at the Mexico City Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo made a prediction that might have seen Joe Namath smile.
Is the Australian driver about to deliver a repeat performance at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix?
Following the Friday practice sessions at the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix Ricciardo emphatically declared that he had a “top ten” car heading into qualifying. Ricciardo finished sixth on the timing sheets in practice in Mexico City, ahead of Lewis Hamilton for example, and believed he was primed for a strong performance.
He delivered that performance on Saturday in Mexico City, putting his AlphaTauri on the second row alongside former Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. Ricciardo finished the job the next day with a seventh-place finish, which was his best result following his shocking mid-season return to the grid.
Speaking Saturday at Red Bull Ring in the aftermath of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, Ricciardo made a similar statement.
“We knew that it would have been hard to get into the points in the Sprint, but it was important to race and learn for tomorrow,” said Ricciardo in Visa Cash App RB F1 Team’s post-qualifying report. “There are some positives from the battles we had this morning and the way the car responded was not too bad.
“Of course, it’s frustrating to miss out on Q3 by just a few milliseconds this afternoon, but at the same time, it’s a more positive one as I think we made some progress since yesterday and it’s something we have to be proud of. I think we still need to find something a little bit extra for tomorrow but today’s qualifying put us in a much better position for the race. It’s going to be a longer one with pit stops and [tire] differences, so there’s no reason to believe we can’t be a top ten car tomorrow.”
As noted by the driver while he did not advance into Q3, he missed out on the final spot in the third segment of qualifying by just 0.015 seconds, as Esteban Ocon snatched P10 from Ricciardo’s grasp.
Still, the Australian driver remains confident.
That confidence and optimism comes as Ricciardo faces renewed speculation about his future at the team. The driver acknowledged those questions earlier in the week, noting that his “performance” — not his trademark “smile” — will determine his fate.
Backing up his confidence tomorrow will bolster his case.
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