F1 Today \u2013 Austrian Prixview LIVE Edition \u00ad\u2013 07\/07\/2022<\/p>\n
Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko says that Honda’s “special turbocharger” is part of the reason why the team is so strong at the higher altitude Red Bull Ring. The team’s home race in 2019 was they took their first victory with Honda power units following the retirement of both Mercedes.<\/p>\n
Last season, Max Verstappen took both pole and victory in both the Styrian and Austrian Grands Prix at the venue from pole position. When asked why Verstappen and Red Bull are so strong in Austria, Red Bull advisor Marko revealed Honda’s “special turbocharger” works especially well at altitude, with Spielberg’s hilly Red Bull Ring sitting at over 600 metres above mean sea level.<\/p>\n
Marko told Red Bull-owned Servus TV, \u201cIt’s the engine, and Honda has a special turbocharger, which has a small but decisive advantage in the altitude, which is 670 meters there, in about the past few years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has also been very important for us. There we celebrated our first victory with the Honda engine. That was quite crucial for the cooperation and especially until 2025, that we can fall back on this [power unit] source.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last weekend at Silverstone saw Mercedes fighting with Red Bull and Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third after a scintillating late-race battle with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. But Marko believes its bitter rival will struggle more in Styria due to the bumpier nature of the track.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cI assume that it will be much more difficult for Mercedes again. They have to raise the car. No problem, they are just slower.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe difficult thing is that you have very fast corners, very tight corners, you have to brake twice from well over 300kph, and finding the right set-up between mechanical and aerodynamic grip is the crucial thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Lewis Hamilton is optimistic that Mercedes has reached a \u201cturning point\u201d in their 2022 season and can fight for victories this season, although the seven-time champion doubts the team will be as competitive at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix as they were at Silverstone.<\/p>\n
Last weekend at Silverstone Mercedes and Hamilton were in contention for their first win of the season, but an ill-timed Safety Car eventually dented their hopes. The British driver finished third at his home race. Hamilton told Sky Sports, \u201cI think it’s hugely encouraging that we were in the fight. We had an upgrade and I think the race pace was definitely improved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t think we’re in a winning position yet. But we’re not far away. We’re on the turning point… we’re still on the bend. Big improvement on the car, but we’ve still got work to do.\u201d However, despite their success over the last decade, Mercedes have only won one of the last five races at the Red Bull Ring.<\/p>\n
Mercedes seemed to take a step forward with its latest raft of updates at the British Grand Prix last weekend, allowing Hamilton to challenge Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for victory at one stage.<\/p>\n
However his teammate George Russell, who retired at Silverstone in the shunt at Abbey, was more cautious about overplaying Mercedes chances saying that the last race was a very unique circuit.<\/p>\n
Adding \u201cWe\u2019re going to another circuit here that\u2019s more medium-speed as opposed to high-speed. We need to keep on evaluating. Silverstone was a really good step in the right direction. We\u2019ve taken some really good understanding from there, but we\u2019ve got to go again this weekend and see how we get on\u201d<\/p>\n
Red Bull’s home circuit is short but fast and features unique, undulating high-speed straights and corners, and there are doubts whether Mercedes can continue their new-found momentum. CEO and team principal Toto Wolff said the team are \u2018back in the game\u2019, but warned it might not be the case in Austria.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cWe have had in Barcelona moments of where we saw some light at the end of the tunnel and then the next three street circuits proved that we were wrong, so I don’t want to talk us up, nor be too optimistic at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding \u201cI think Austria was always a little bit difficult. There’s a few corners that we don’t like. It’s a very different track to Silverstone and one that hasn’t always suited us in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
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George Russell says it was a \u201cnatural reaction\u201d to check on Guanyu Zhou following his horrible crash on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix. Russell was caught up in the same sequence of events on the first lap at Silverstone, having collided with the Alpha Tauri of Pierre Gasly to then rotate and hit Zhou\u2019s car.<\/p>\n
Once Russell stopped at Abbey with left-rear damage, having witnessed the Alfa Romeo land between the tyre wall and catch fencing, he ran with a marshal to check on Zhou. The actions of the Englishman and GPDA director have been widely praised. In the time Russell attended to Zhou, his damaged W13 was retrieved on a flatbed lorry so could not be repaired to take the race restart after the protracted red flag stoppage.<\/p>\n
In the press conference ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Russell was asked if Mercedes had understood why he had jumped out to effectively take no further part in the race. Russell said: “I think it’s just a natural reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, the race was red-flagged and seeing such a horrific incident, I thought at the time as well my car was probably game over. As it turned out, it wasn’t. That just added to sort of the emotions or the frustrations, because we definitely could have got going again and probably could have scored a strong result.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell says once again that F1 and the FIA needed to address the gap between the barriers that allowed Zhou to become \u201ctrapped\u201d in the car.<\/p>\n
Recalling the incident, Russell said: \u201cIt was sort of horrifying to see him trapped in there, literally not being able to get out of the car. He was obviously fine, and I could see he was moving. But as drivers, we all know that you\u2019re sort of in there pretty tight. You\u2019ve got the helmet on, you\u2019ve got the halo there, the headrest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen when you\u2019ve got a tyre wall effectively on top of your head blocking your exit hanging upside down, it\u2019s just a horrible situation to be in. I think from every sort of disaster that there\u2019s an opportunity to improve as a sport, whatever it may be.<\/p>\n
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Formula One bosses are to discuss on Friday adjusting the cost cap following the rising cost of inflation and energy. All of the teams have been hit by the rising costs caused by the war in Ukraine and as the global supply chain starts to recover from the pandemic,<\/p>\n
Top teams say unexpected world events, such as the war in Ukraine, have made it impossible for them to stay within the $140-million budget cap and have called it a force majeure situation. Others said a financial group was likely to be asked to present a final plan before the matter could be put to bed ahead of the August break.<\/p>\n
McLaren’s Andreas Seidl hoped the meeting would “find a solution in the best interests of the sport and close the topic”.<\/p>\n
Williams team principal Jost Capito told reporters at Silverstone last weekend, \u201cSeeing as the commission is only scheduled for two hours, we have to get aligned very quickly. I think we’re discussing the various options. I’m sure we will find a compromise that works for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff said in May that the team’s energy bill had gone up from \u00a32.5m to \u00a36.5m, and that freight costs had also gone up in a similar way.<\/p>\n
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner added, \u201cIt will be interesting to see what the FIA presents. They promised obviously to come back to us with a proposal, so we’ll listen with interest to see what’s put on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renault-owned Alpine’s Otmar Szafnauer, who said in May that top teams should spend less on development if inflationary pressures put them at risk of busting the budget cap, has sounded more open to increases in specific areas. he said, \u201cIf it’s something reasonable, we’ll assess it and vote accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other issues to be discussed include new power unit regulations for 2026, although a final vote is still some time away.<\/p>\n
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Lando Norris has hit back at “clueless” sceptics of his McLaren contract and insists he is confident in the team’s future and his “long-term game”. The Englishman signed a new deal with McLaren to stay with the team until 2025, despite the team not winning the championship since 2008 and dropping into the midfield.<\/p>\n
At the time the contract was signed Norris admitted that he had spoken to other teams before committing his future, and the length of the contract raised eyebrows given his current ability, and title-winning potential. Asked by Sky Sports, what he would say to the doubters, Norris responded: “They’re clueless!”<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cI don’t know why… everyone thinks they know, he definitely could have gone here, he could have done that. But most of the time they know absolutely nothing, all these people coming up with these conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jenson Button, 2009 champion and former McLaren driver, was one of those \u201csurprised\u201d by the contract, and Norris admitted that “it’s come from people that I have a lot of respect for and of course, I respect their opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says he has a good team around him, who know where he wants to be and when as well as what the team can offer him going into the future. Norris added, \u201cI still believe it’s the best place for me because it’s where I’ve grown up, I know what we have coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLaren finished fourth in the constructors’ standings last year and are in that position again after ten races in 2022, a long way behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. Norris suggested that this was about playing the long-term game, and it wouldn\u2019t be a given he would be as successful if he were to leave McLaren.<\/p>\n
Adding \u201cI’ve not been in that situation so it’s hard for me to speak on other people’s behaves, but you see many other drivers, not just Daniel, go from team to team and it’s obviously not easy to just go in and nail it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Fernando Alonso is happy to leave talks about staying with Alpine until after the summer break, as the two-time champion looks to extend his third stint in Formula One. Alonso returned to the sport with the team he won both his titles with after taking a two-year break to explore other motorsports, and has been clear he wants to extend his contract.<\/p>\n
This places the French manufacturer in a very difficult position, with Esteban Ocon on a long-term contract and the team wanting to get F2 champion Oscar Piastri into the sport the team has not enough seats. Although there are suggestions that the South African could be loaned to Williams likely replacing Nicolas Latifi.<\/p>\n
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer said on Saturday morning at Silverstone that the team had not \u201creally started talking in detail\u201d with Alonso about his future, but would do so \u201cjust after the break\u201d through August.<\/p>\n
Alonso confirmed he had a similar timeframe in mind for talks and that he would be happy to wait until after the summer break, particularly given the packed schedule of four F1 races in July. He said after qualifying at Silverstone, \u201cSo far, yeah, we didn\u2019t start any negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding \u201cMy aim, as I said sometimes, is to continue, but yeah, until the summer break, I want to concentrate [on racing]. This July, we have four races, and I need to score points because the first nine races have been a little bit unlucky for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alonso went on to finish fifth in the race the best result for him this year, behind the two Ferrari’s, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Speaking about the timings of the discussions Szafnauer said that around \u201cpost-summer we should have a chat and decision\u201d about what to do beyond this year. Szafnauer said. \u201cBecause the season goes so late, in the old days, when we finished in October, the silly season was a bit earlier. But now, yeah, we\u2019re not going to December, but not far off. That\u2019s good timing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if there was anything that would lend Alpine to not keeping Alonso, Szafnauer replied: \u201cI haven\u2019t thought of it, but it\u2019s a good question. He\u2019s driving brilliantly and qualifies well, races well. That\u2019s what it\u2019s really about. But let\u2019s think about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur has admitted that he is struggling to find a FP1 slot for his protege Theo Pourchaire. This year all teams have to stand down each of their race drivers at some stage of the season to give an FP1 session to a rookie.<\/p>\n
Alfa Romeo was in the unusual position of being allowed to count Guanyu Zhou’s debut in Bahrain as an official rookie session for his car. However, Valtteri Bottas still has to give up his C42 on a Friday, and ART F2 driver Pourchaire has been given the nod for the slot. Vasseur said they had planned to run him at Paul Ricard, but the cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix saw the F2 race moved to France.<\/p>\n
Vasseur says Pourchaire can’t drive the Alfa at any events with F2 clashes, which rules out the Red Bull Ring, Hungaroring, Spa, Zandvoort, Monza and Abu Dhabi. It won’t be possible on F1 sprint weekends when FP1 is followed by qualifying, which also takes out Red Bull Ring, as well as Interlagos.<\/p>\n
They have also ruled out Singapore because of the obvious risks associated with a street circuit, while Suzuka is also potentially too challenging for a rookie, with the added problem of the necessity to get Bottas as much mileage there as possible after two years away.<\/p>\n
In addition, Pirelli is planning to use two or three FP2 sessions later in the season to test prototype 2023 tyres, and Vasseur says that combining that with an FP1 rookie run would be too disruptive.<\/p>\n
When asked about the teams plans, Vasseur said, \u201cWe were thinking to do Le Castellet with Theo. But now at Le Castellet, they have F2, they changed because of Sochi. We have to find a slot at the end of the season. It’s not so easy because you don’t want to do it in Singapore. Japan is tough for a rookie, and it’s also tough for the guy whose driving the car didn’t do Japan for the last two seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thus far only three FP1 rookie slots have by teams, with Zhou’s Bahrain debut followed by runs in Barcelona for Nyck de Vries at Williams, and Yuri Vips at Red Bull Racing.<\/p>\n
Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirmed that following last week’s sacking of Vips Liam Lawson will now be the main reserve for both RBR and AlphaTauri. It is thus possible that the Kiwi will be given as many three FP1 outings across the two teams, although as with Pourchaire his F2 commitments will make it difficult to find slots.<\/p>\n
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Red Bull has clarified that Juri Vips has lost his test and reserve driver roles with its Formula One team but remains part of the driver programme despite using a racial slur on a live stream last month.<\/p>\n
The Estonian driver’s contract as test and reserve driver was terminated last week, following the use of racist and homophobic language during an online gaming session with a fellow junior driver he has since apologised for the comments.<\/p>\n
Despite the controversy, Vips was retained by his Formula Two team Hitech, who felt the loss of his Red Bull backing was enough of a punishment. However, Red Bull has confirmed it is still supporting Vips as part of the driver programme, which aims to promote junior drivers up the ladder to F1.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Red Bull said: “Juri’s contract as test and reserve driver was cancelled by Oracle Red Bull Racing due to the comments he made. He is retained by Red Bull as part of their Junior Driver programme. We are supporting him as he transitions away from his role with Oracle Red Bull Racing.”<\/p>\n
This weekend is another circuit which I believe should see a closer battle between Red Bull and Ferrari, I think with the layout of the Red Bull Ring it should favour Ferrari. It\u2019s similar in some ways to Bahrain with the layout if you look at the layout of the circuit I think we should see great racing between the top four drivers. But you need to ask, does Carlos Sainz\u2019s maiden win last weekend reignite Ferrari\u2019s season and can they use the three races before the summer break to chip away at Red Bull.<\/p>\n
Charles Leclerc, I still feel needs a win before the summer break, just to try and close the gap to Max Verstappen in the driver’s championship and just keep it alive. Ferrari yes made mistakes at Silverstone, but have they now learnt how they can overcome them? That I think is going to be very important going forwards<\/p>\n
This is also going to be what some belief is a bigger test for Mercedes than Silverstone, this is a bumpy and hilly circuit and we know that has been a problem with the bouncing in the past for them at Imola. But I believe there has been a big step forwards and this could underline that they have made, and with the sprint format they could be off in qualifying but in the mix if they have a good Saturday.<\/p>\n
This is an old-school circuit meaning teams and drivers need to be warry of making mistakes there is gravel and grass meaning getting the car stopped at the end of the braking zone is going to be very important. It’s also hard on the cars with huge braking events at the end of the straights this gives opportunities for overtaking but can see retirements as well.<\/p>\n
We also see a lot of closer racing around here in my view, and as we have been saying all season the regulation changes have created closer racing.<\/p>\n
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The latest news and analysis behind the headlines from Formula One ahead of this weekend\u2019s Austrian Grand Prix, exploring the day’s events from a global perspective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,10],"tags":[115,116,125,126,211,212,319,320,341,458,675,707,754,782,814,869,902,921,1082,1096,1131,1287,1290,1298,1479,1637,1638,1642,1733,1843,1987,1989,2031,2149,2152],"class_list":["post-10799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-editors-blog","category-news-analysis","tag-alfa-romeo","tag-alfa-romeo-ferrari","tag-alpine","tag-alpine-renault","tag-austrian-gp","tag-austrian-grand-prix","tag-british-gp","tag-british-grand-prix","tag-budget-cap","tag-cost-of-f1","tag-f1-today","tag-fernando-alonso","tag-formula-one","tag-fred-vassuer","tag-george-russell","tag-guanyu-zhou","tag-helmut-marko","tag-honda","tag-jost-capito","tag-juri-vips","tag-lando-norris","tag-mclaren","tag-mclaren-mercedes","tag-mercedes","tag-otmar-szafnauer","tag-red-bull","tag-red-bull-honda","tag-red-bull-racing","tag-russian-invasion-of-ukraine","tag-lewis-hamilton","tag-the-weekend-ahead","tag-theo-pourchaire","tag-toto-wolff","tag-williams","tag-williams-mercedes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}