[ds.raikkonen]

The Austrian GP, seems as though it happened only yesterday!

Biggest news: rain expected on Fri and Sat! I think this is exactly what we needed from a repeat GP weekend. Should mix up the field well for the grand prix. Can we expect Ferrari to qualify better in wet conditions?
https://www.metcheck.com/WEATHER/16d...47.2&lon=14.8#

Also it seems Mercedes have fixed their sensor and gearbox issues so no grid penalties. But now that the teams are aware of the kerbs, I am afraid this weekend's race will become more conservative with respect to managing tyres. Also everyone will aim to qualify on the mediums. Perhaps Pirelli should have allocated softer sets just to spice things up!

Expecting VER to make amends this time around. BOT will have even more pressure knowing what he could manage only if he started from pole. HAM was only some hundredths off last time around.

Last but not the least-what will Racing Point and McLaren manage to achieve this time around knowing how close they were last weekend?

Let's see what the double header brings this weekend, can't wait!

The Circuit


Schedule


Circuit Information


Weather Prediction

[shibujp]

Seems surreal seeing a second GP in a row a the same circuit at last week. F1 shoud have mixed it up a bit. Different set of tyres, clockwise versus anti clockwise (can this be done?).

Anyway all the losers last week Hamilton, Vettel, Racing Points, Verstappen and Albon get a chance to get one back.

Chances of rains on Saturday and Sunday should be interesting enough though.
Drive on,
Shibu

[deetjohn]

Some thoughts/ facts:

It is called the Styrian Grand Prix to make it less confusing for everyone. Named after the state of Styria where the Red Bull Ring is located. The weekend is supposed to be colder compared to last and chance of rain is higher.

The car to beat is Mercedes of course. But riding the kerbs and the state of the gearbox, which team has been working on frantically since last weekend will determine the standings on Sunday. Lewis could be a big shout for the Pole. The world champion would have understood by now where he was losing time to his team mate. Exciting since Bottas is really strong at Austria!

Red Bull looked very strong in the race. But what will they do if Mercedes too opts for Medium compound in Q2? Will they go soft? But a Safety Car could ruin that strategy and that is real possibility based on last weekend. Will be very interesting. What will not be interesting however is the state of those Honda engines on Sunday. Would Albon have finished the race even if he had successfully passed both Mercs last weekend? That's a big question!

Ferrari has brought the upgrade meant for Hungary forward to this weekend. The team has gone so far back compared to last season and is blaming correlation issues. The old timers here will certainly recall this from a few years back which resulted in heavy rework of the wind tunnel and simulation back at the factory. And it is baffling that there is a repeat of the same. Anyways, the upgrade is limited only to aero and the team is so far back that gains on the track looks very limited unless it is a race of severe attrition like last weekend. I will be really surprised if the team gets anywhere near the podium this weekend. Charles obviously cannot pull two rabbits out of a hat! But, he sure will try his best! With 3 straights and DRS zones, the ring is the best place to test aero. I would expect the team to run a lot during practice.

McLaren looks strong and their second place in the constructors is no surprise. And they will be there if Merc and Redbull falter again. Racing Point were the big under achievers last weekend. They got a fast car - no surprise given that a little scratch and some nitric acid might show some silver underneath. But there are no big points to show for that shameful route though! And the season start is their best bet for accumulation!

[ds.raikkonen]

Originally Posted by shibujp

Seems surreal seeing a second GP in a row a the same circuit at last week. F1 shoud have mixed it up a bit. Different set of tyres, clockwise versus anti clockwise (can this be done?).

I too support the idea of having an aggressive tyre set allocation, C3-C4-C5 instead of C2-C3-C4 like last weekend to spice things up, strategy wise. Else they will all bolt on the hard tyres for 50+ laps....unless a SC period disrupts things.

Reverse grid has the issue of placement of impact barriers, which are done as per certain speed, braking zones and direction of vehicles. Also the inherent nature of the track will completely change, braking zones, tyre wear info which Pirelli uses to allcoate sets. Most of the data will go for a toss!

[ds.raikkonen]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The car to beat is Mercedes of course. But riding the kerbs and the state of the gearbox, which team has been working on frantically since last weekend will determine the standings on Sunday. Lewis could be a big shout for the Pole. The world champion would have understood by now where he was losing time to his team mate. Exciting since Bottas is really strong at Austria!

Ferrari has brought the upgrade meant for Hungary forward to this weekend. The team has gone so far back compared to last season and is blaming correlation issues. The old timers here will certainly recall this from a few years back which resulted in heavy rework of the wind tunnel and simulation back at the factory. And it is baffling that there is a repeat of the same. Anyways, the upgrade is limited only to aero and the team is so far back that gains on the track looks very limited unless it is a race of severe attrition like last weekend.

The Mercedes W11 is 3 tenths quicker than the already quick 2019 W10, whereas the SF1000 is nearly 7 tenths slower on the straights along! Though it is slightly quicker in the corners but that seems to have come at a huge cost in straight line speed. Its like looking at McLaren's data between 2015-17!

Refer screenshot taken from 'The Race' YouTube channel which shows how the SF1000 is struggling even compared to last year's SF90!

(Request the mods to merge this with my previous post as the edit button is not visible on the prev post. Thanks!)

[shibujp]

The surprise package of FP1 and FP2 has been Racing Point. Everyone knew they were fast but to see them this high up in the grid was surprising.

Verstappen was fastest in FP2 followed by Bottas. Leclerc and Hamilton too in the top ten. Vettel was on mediums and in 14th or so. Seems he was working on race simulation.

Too bad on Riccardo who will start last if mechanics are unable to turn around his car before qualifying tommorrow. He crashed at turn 9.

A 3D model of the track showing the elevations.


I personally love the run up to Turn 1 and 2.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Some thoughts/ facts:

McLaren looks strong and their second place in the constructors is no surprise. And they will be there if Merc and Redbull falter again. Racing Point were the big under achievers last weekend. They got a fast car - no surprise given that a little scratch and some nitric acid might show some silver underneath. But there are no big points to show for that shameful route though! And the season start is their best bet for accumulation!

Originally Posted by ds.raikkonen

Reverse grid has the issue of placement of impact barriers, which are done as per certain speed, braking zones and direction of vehicles. Also the inherent nature of the track will completely change, braking zones, tyre wear info which Pirelli uses to allcoate sets. Most of the data will go for a toss!

FP3 is a washout. Probably quali too. Looks like we will be going into the race with the FP2 classification. This out to give us the shake-up the grid needs with potentially faster and more experiences cats down in the grid.

Drive on,
Shibu

[DaptChatterjee]

Leclerc out in Q2 this time. So it's not Vettel, it's Ferrari which is to blame. Whatever upgrade they did for this race haven't had any impact.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by DaptChatterjee

Leclerc out in Q2 this time. So it's not Vettel, it's Ferrari which is to blame. Whatever upgrade they did for this race haven't had any impact.

And sainz on p3. He must be wondering if he made a mistake with the signing for next season.

[avishar]

Best F1 Quali I have seen in a long time!

1. Ferrari has built the ultimate sh*t box.
2. Russell, Ocon, Lando and Sainz the future is bright.
3. But can't match Big Daddy Lewis. That last lap was insane.
4. Russell desperately needs a faster car.
5. From the absolute bottom and the butt of all jokes McLaren has risen back to being a top three team. Sainz is stupid to leave.

Ocon & Gasly deserve honourable mentions. Both of them have gone through intense pressures on and off the track. But they seem to be thriving today. Ocon especially qualifying well clear of Danny and showing very good pace over the two weekends.

Looking at Renault's improvement will be interesting to see what Alonso can do with it next season.

[mayankk]

That was a fun quali right there! And what a mighty drive by Lewis! Just amazing , and the last two laps were a stamp of authority.
The second and third row are bound to throw up some surprise tomorrow, though.
Ps: that black Mercedes with rooster tails is positively sinister looking in the low light conditions.

[shibujp]

What an awesome qualifying session! That lap from Hamilton was just MEGA. 1.2s clear of P2. I though did not have much hope for Verstappen's last lap even before he came up on Verstappen. He was fighting the car all through that lap but his save was just awesome. Hamilton was so smooth in comparison. Made it look so easy.

Qualifying Highlights

https://youtu.be/T-gwxLCKpEQ

Drive on,
Shibu

[madhav]

What a fantastic qualifier! That last lap by Hamilton shows he loves the rain and he mentioned it in the interview as well.

But for me, the best so far has been my all-time favorite team - McLaren and its drivers, Norris and Sainz. They have been working their way back slowly and quietly and it shows in the car and the drivers. I think a big part of this credit goes to Andreas Seidl and Zak Brown, for rebuilding a team that was almost a write-off. I sincerely hope they win a few races this year and the championships for the next decade with the Merc engine!

[deetjohn]

Masterclass by king Lewis! What a lap!

Enjoy the onboard!

https://youtu.be/s8Eu77TjVRk

[DaptChatterjee]

Leclerc has been given 3 place grid penalty for obstructing Kvyat. That means he'll start from 14th place. Contrasting weekends at Red Bull arena unless he turns it around on race day. Link