The Austrian Grand Prix has just been archived. It was a weekend full of twists and turns, from the winner to the battles on the track and beyond, with plenty of on-track action between qualifying, the sprint race and the race itself.
The race in pills
To sum up the weekend, it was Max Verstappen who took pole position for the sprint race, followed by the two McLarens of Norris and Piastri. That podium positions were then confirmed in the sprint race. The story did not change and a perfect Max Verstappen also signed the pole position for the race followed by Lando Norris and George Russell.
But it is the race that surprises right from the start, with the Perez-Leclerc contact that forces him to return to the pits, a situation that will compromise the race that will close 11. “A weekend to forget, especially for the first contact” these are the words of the Monegasque.
The race continued until the final laps, where the battle between Max and Lando heated up, between overtaking and attacking, it was the Dutchman who got the better of it, pushing Norris out and forcing him to retire. Verstappen was also crucially damaged in that contact.
It was George Russell who benefited from the contact, taking the second win of his career. He told the microphones: “I took the chance, I saw everything on the screens. When there is an opportunity, you always dream of taking it. I am happy to be back on the top step of the podium and proud of the team’s work“. Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz followed.
Max and Lando’s statements
What set the press alight was the episode between Lando and Max. Their endangered friendship was the star of the behind-the-scenes coverage of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Max’s words: “He was aggressive, he tried to overtake me. He made a late move and lost control. I’ve never been aggressive, I’ve been in this situation many times in my life. We ended up touching. It was embarrassing”.
Lando Norris felt differently: “I am disappointed. I had a good race, I expected a tough but fair fight. It didn’t go that way. It’s hard to accept, I drove a race without any mistakes on my part, I did a good job. My friendship with Verstappen? It also depends on what he says. If he says he didn’t do anything wrong, he’ll lose a lot of my respect, but if he admits he was stupid, that he came at me and was unfair in a way, then maybe I’ll still have some respect, but it’s hard to accept when you’re fighting for victory. I tried to be fair, he is not the state”.
A few facts about the race
The race in Austria saw Mercedes triumph for the first time this season. British driver George Russell took his first win in almost two years, becoming the fifth driver to win in ten races in the 2024 season.
Mclaren, on the other hand, have never done so well, with seven consecutive podiums, not since 2012.
Head to Silverstone
Successes and difficult moments, such as those experienced by Ferrari this weekend, can be put to one side as it is race week again. Silverstone, the home of British F1, is ready to ignite the battle on the track and the questions are many: Will Sir Lewis Hamilton be able to win again? Will Ferrari be able to compete again?
Only the track will give us the answer!
