2024 F1 Austrian GP Sprint shootout: What did we learn?

Max Verstappen once again secured a pole position, but this time around it was the 2024 F1 Austrian GP sprint. The Red Bull driver looked in complete control from the very first lap in the first session and did not look back. The gap in the end between him and Lando Norris was less than a tenth, but it was a result of the McLaren driver finding another gear on his last flying lap.

In P3, we had Oscar Piastri, the Australian, playing the role of the perfect backup for Lando Norris. In P4, we had George Russell as the Mercedes driver who couldn't repeat the heroics of Canada.

Charles Leclerc's Ferrari had a disastrous run, as he missed out on putting together a flying lap. He will start the sprint in P10. All in all, in a session where the top two remain the same as the previous race, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

2024 F1 Austrian GP Sprint shootout: Key Takeaways

#1 It's still between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen

It was once again Lando Norris vs Max Verstappen and the two were separated by a tenth. Red Bull has an advantage on this track but what Lando showed on his final lap is that the gap is not too big.

What this does is that it sets up a perfect showdown between the duo not only for the sprint but the F1 Austrian GP on Sunday. The race is going to feature these two once again battling it out at the front and we're surely going to have a battle on our hands.

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#2 Wheels are falling off the Ferrari 2024 campaign

The biggest issue was waiting just far too long to pull the plug. Then it became a battle of the power unit just switching off and ruining the sprint shootout for Charles. The impact is possibly not going to be as big as it would ideally have been because Ferrari is just a slow car at the F1 Austrian GP. The pace is not there and when that happens, you're fighting for a top-5 result at best.

Ferrari has fallen off drastically since the win in Monaco, and the fact that their lead driver ends up being on the receiving end of this is alarming.

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#3 Sergio Perez has only himself to blame

Sergio Perez came on the radio and had a few choice words about Esteban Ocon. The problem was not with the Alpine driver but it was a two-fold issue. The first was the fact that Perez was released much later than he should have been. Secondly, if you think the driver ahead is holding you up, try to overtake him.

There's a set minimum time that every driver has to adhere to, and that applies to the Alpine ahead as well. One can't get away with placing the blame on someone else every time, and Sergio desperately needs results now.

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#4 Daniel Ricciardo hammered the final nail in the coffin of his career

Daniel Ricciardo was already on the backfoot when he came to the F1 Austrian GP. The fact that he got outclassed by Yuki Tsunoda in a qualifying session, not for the first time this year, was something that hurt the Australian.

The driver has another shot at this in the qualifying session for the F1 Austrian GP but if he doesn't show something, he might be getting very close to being relieved from his seat.

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#5 Fernando Alonso might just have checked out at Aston Martin

Lance Stroll made a mistake on his only flying lap and even then was quicker than Fernando Alonso. Unless the Spaniard is trying something very radical in the car or testing the parts, he might have checked out at the team. For a driver of his stature, driving cars that continue to regress is just not how you keep anyone motivated.

The F1 Austrian GP might just have been another of the many examples where this has happened.