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The 2024 F1 Austrian GP comes at a very important juncture in the championship. By this time, Red Bull has been caught up to in terms of performance. McLaren has the edge overall and it was obvious in Barcelona as well.
Lando Norris lost the Spanish GP because he was outperformed by Max Verstappen. If Norris had nailed the start, we would have been looking at a completely different result. Having said that, what it all means is that the battle at the front is intensifying.
Up next is the F1 Austrian GP, an event that has been Max Verstappen's favorite hunting ground even before Red Bull started dominating the sport. The race is crucial, however, as Max Verstappen has fended off Lando Norris for the most part in both Canada and Barcelona. To be fair to him, he can't continue doing this from a point of deficit. That's where things get interesting because the stakes will be high this weekend.
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In all of this, what do we expect to happen at the F1 Austrian GP? Let's take a look at our bold predictions for the weekend.
#5 RB, Alpine and Haas fight for the final points
Away from the top 4 teams and hence the top 8 slots, there's a fight for the last two points-scoring positions, and they have inadvertently gone to Alpine in Canada and Barcelona. This weekend, RB will have a decent time getting used to the upgrades and setting up the car better.
Haas and Alpine have also been the teams that are right on the fringes of points and have fought hard to get a few onboard. The F1 Austrian GP is going to see a more intense competition between these three teams for those two slots.
Unfortunately, Aston Martin has just not gone well on this track, and thus, expecting much from the team is going to be a mistake.
#4 Sergio Perez will have another disastrous weekend
Sergio Perez has never done that well at the F1 Austrian GP. The driver has struggled to get good results here and this time around the competition is going to be intense. You have to nail your qualifying to have a great result and Sergio hasn't done that lately.
The top 4 teams are not going to be separated by much. It will come down to who is able to put together a strong qualifying session. There's the added factor of rain playing a role. You add all that up, and you have the perfect recipe for a race where the Mexican struggles.
#3 Mercedes should be the 4th best in dry
It is expected to rain. If it does not, however, then Mercedes will be the 4th fastest car in Austria. This is despite the fact that the team has made some serious progress because there are certain demands of the track that the car does not gel well with.
The straight-line speed and efficiency is going to be a crucial factor here, and that is one area where Mercedes might trail Ferrari. The gap might not be huge, but expect the German team to take a small step back.
In the rain, however, we've seen that the car comes alive. It's not going to be a surprise if that happens here as well.
#2 Rain disruption will compromise Ferrari
If the track stays dry and we have more conventional weather this weekend, expect Ferrari to be right up there with both McLaren and Red Bull. If however, we have rain making an appearance or the weather is overcast, the car just doesn't work. We've seen this far too often in the past as well, especially in Canada,
The weather is going to prove to be a limiting factor for Ferrari at the F1 Austrian GP. If the rain stays away, we're looking at a much better outlook for the team.
#1 Lando Norris wins both races in the F1 Austrian GP
Lando Norris was seething after the race in Barcelona as he felt a better result was on the table. Up next is the F1 Austrian GP, a race where he's traditionally been brilliant even when McLaren didn't have a grid beater in the ranks.
Lando has shown an ability to do a great job irrespective of conditions. So at the F1 Austrian GP, be it the sprint or the race on Sunday, there is going to be another Lando Norris vs. Max Verstappen showdown, and this time around we're picking the McLaren driver to bounce back, whether it rains or not.
