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The sprint race weekend for the 2022 Austrian GP gives fans another iteration to watch the F1 cars race in what would be a 45-minute dash on Saturday followed by a full race on Sunday. With Friday's qualifying done and dusted, the grid for the Sprint has taken shape.
The next question that pops up in fans' minds is what can one expect from the Sprint race? Well, not to worry, we're here to answer your questions as we share our predictions for the 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint race.
#1 It will be hard to beat Max Verstappen during the 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint race
It's hard to deny that Max Verstappen is surely getting boosted by a tenth or two with the tremendous support he is receiving from the Dutch fans. Not many would have noticed, but the Friday qualifying session was the biggest hurdle in Verstappen's path, which he successfully passed.
The Red Bull driver has not been comfortable in qualifying this season and it was pretty obvious as he narrowly made it through and qualified on pole by less than half a tenth. With the hurdle of qualifying out of the way, we're now in Verstappen's world.
Verstappen has been untouchable on race pace this season and even in the 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint qualifying, the Red Bull driver will be the favorite.
#2 Watch out for Lewis Hamilton making his way through the field
Don't get deceived by the lowly grid position for Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver has already shown he has the speed to match the frontrunners. Not only that, but he has also shown that he could be a factor at the front as well. Starting in 9th is not the most inspiring position, but expect Hamilton to march his way through the Haas and the Alpine drivers.
A top 6 result for the Briton would not be too much of a surprise considering the speed differential of the frontrunners to the midfield teams.
#3 Tire choice is going to be very crucial
Major question marks will be raised over the teams' choice of tire compounds for the sprint race. Will the teams go for the soft tires to maximize whatever advantage they can at the start and hold off those on Mediums? Or could we see teams gambling on hard tires hoping that their durability turns the table towards the end of the race?
Last season at the British GP, Alpine tried something different by simply using soft tires instead of the medium that everyone else did. As a result, both Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso gained multiple spots in the race. Consequently, teams trying something completely different during the Sprint is a possibility.
#4 Keep an eye on the Aston Martin drivers
The two Aston Martins will start the 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint in P17 and P20. While its cars have often been unable to switch on everything for the single-lap shootout, the team has shown the ability to put things together in the race.
Aston Martin is an intrinsically fast car but a notoriously poor qualifier. Watch out for the two Aston Martin cars in the 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint. These two will surely be making up places across the grid.
#5 Expect action, lots of it!
For the 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint, multiple factors are expected to contribute to a great action-packed race. The first is the track; the Red Bull Ring track layout is conducive to wheel-to-wheel action. Next is the uncertainty caused by the lack of concrete ideas over what tire compound needs to be used during the sprint. To finally top it all off, the biggest factor is drivers starting out of position and hoping to make up places in the race.
Will it be a surprise if Lewis Hamilton makes multiple overtakes during the race? Not really. Are the Aston Martins starting the race out of order? In all probability, yes. Could Lando Norris pick off one or two cars during the race? Sure, he can.
And not to forget, the battle for the lead is going to be intense. Expect action from the sprint! Lots of it!
