2023 F1 Austrian GP: Sprint Predictions

The 2023 F1 Austrian GP weekend has Saturday entirely reserved for the sprint.

First, we will have the qualifying session for the sprint, followed by the sprint itself. Now, we've already had one hour of running today, followed by a qualifying session for Sunday's race.

Looking at the two sessions that were run on Friday, there are certain learnings that could be used to accurately predict what we could expect from the 2023 F1 Austrian GP Sprint.

In this feature, we will share some of the things we expect to happen on Saturday. So without further ado, let's get straight to it.

#1 The results of the 2023 F1 Austrian GP sprint qualifying could mirror the results on Friday

While F1 has tried to introduce a level of variability in the two qualifying formats, but it's not that different.

To add to this, something that we saw in Baku as well, the chips tend to fall in the same place more often than not. The frontrunners are more or less going to remain the same. We're still going to see Max Verstappen battling it out with the Ferrari drivers.

However, there's one area where there could be variability, and that is the midfield. From Alpine onward until the last team on the grid, it's very close, and we could see the entire midfield order flipping on its head because of that.

#2 Drivers like George Russell and Sergio Perez could bounce back

It seems tougher for George Russell because he has not seemed to find any rhythm in the car, but Sergio Perez had the pace to hang with Max Verstappen early in the session.

If it wasn't for the consistent track limits becoming a major factor, we could have ended up with a much different starting order.

For Saturday, even George Russell will have an extra night of pouring over the data to find what went wrong with his car.

Expect the added day of knowledge and a level of exasperation, helping these drivers to bounce back in the way they know best.

#3 Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc in both sessions

Charles Leclerc was a bit tentative throughout the 2023 F1 Austrian GP qualifying, and it wasn't until he threw the kitchen sink in the last lap did he find the utmost confidence in the car.

The Ferrari driver did something similar in Baku as well, although on that occasion, he did get pole position. Here, even though the pole position was out of his hand, Leclerc now knows that he can challenge Max Verstappen.

With that knowledge at the back of his mind, we could see Charles putting a much better challenge in front of Verstappen. If Ferrari proves to be a capable enough car in the race, we could be looking at a very interesting battle on Saturday.

#4 If weather intervenes, we can throw the formbook out of the window

Rain is expected to play spoilsport at the some point during the 2023 F1 Austrian GP. It almost made an appearance during qualifying as well. If rain does make an appearance, things could unravel fast.

Drivers will need to be on the right tire at the right time. They will need to keep the car on the road, especially within the notorious white lines that have caused such a headache this weekend.

If we have rain during the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, we can just chuck the formbook in the trash because it is going to give an opportunity to a lot of teams and drivers that might not fancy themselves this weekend.

#5 The sprint might be a bit lackluster

The sprint part of the weekend is supposed to be the exciting one, but F1 racing is just not evolved that way.

We're going to see this become a feature as well as take a look at the races in the past as well. Except for a handful, we haven't seen many sprints providing star attraction, and the 2023 F1 Austrian GP sprint might just be the same.

When it comes to qualifying, the order might be a bit predictable, and when it comes to the sprint, we won't see too many changes in positions. Overall, the anticipation might not match the action on track for the 2023 F1 Austrian GP sprint.