In the wet as in the dry: Verstappen dominates the Austrian GP Sprint

That the number one favorite for the Sprint was Max Verstappen was not in doubt, but the way in which he dominated the 24 laps of the Sprint on the wet Red Bull Ring recalled another feat of his in rainy conditions: the very 2022 Japanese GP which crowned him 2 times World Champion.

Before delving into the usual analysis, here's the final classification:

Red Bull dominance paused by an extraordinary Hulkenberg

The start saw Sergio Perez surprising his teammate, but the latter, on the exit of turn 1 tried to overtake him again: Checo, not noticing Max behind him, forced him to put two wheels on the grass; in response, the Dutchman pulled a devastating braking in turn 3 to put him behind and lead the Sprint.

Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

The slipstream from which Perez benefited at that point forced Verstappen to repeat a braking beyond all limits in turn 4: it's precisely there that Perez also lost the position to the Haas of Hulkenberg.

Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

At that moment, I think we all thought that Sergio would have easily regained second place, but surprisingly it didn't happen: for 12 laps, while Hulkenberg was lapping fast enough not to offer solid attack opportunities, Verstappen pulled away from everyone. When Perez finally got rid of the German, he was now 10 seconds behind the Sprint leader: too much to think about catching up, but this is absolutely no justification for the fact that the gap doubled up to the checkered flag... Simply the World Champion is driving the Red Bull RB19 to an unapproachable level for everyone!

“The start was bad, I had some wheelspin. But after I got the lead back everything was fine, I just had to manage the tyres. There was a bad moment after Turn 1, I found myself on the grass and the track was slippery. But we managed to keep the car on track and then we did our race... I knew that if it hadn't rained doing all the laps on the Intermediates would have been difficult, but we tried to hold on. Clearly the slicks were much faster, but we had so much advantage that it didn't make sense to stop: we held on and it went well"

Max Verstappen

The drying track opened up various strategies: a shame to have the Sprint format?

During lap 16 (out of 24), the tarmac was in enough dry conditions to think about pitting and switching from the Intermediates to the slicks (Soft compound, as is the procedure in the transition from wet to dry). Among those who opted for such a move we find a large part of the grid - including Hulkenberg, but not Carlos Sainz and the two Aston Martins of Stroll and Alonso.

Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

These three drivers, in the exact order in which they were mentioned, occupied the positions from P3 to P5 crossing the finish line. I find the decision to stay on track with the Intermediates correct for them, as the gap behind them was too big to actually risk their respective positions from their opponents equipped with Soft tyres.

“With one more lap and with the DRS I could have attacked Lance, because I had better tyres at the end... But Hulkenberg was coming fast behind me, so I was happy to see the checkered flag! The big question of the race was whether to switch to dry tyres or not. Nico came into the pits while he was ahead of me, and ended up finishing 1.0 s behind, so the total race time was very similar whether we stopped or not!”

Fernando Alonso

At the same time, a broader consideration on the Sprint format spontaneously arises: are we sure that their reduced length is good for the show - so much craved by Liberty Media? Today we witnessed a great Sprint, but the real show was just about to begin: between people on the track on dry tyres and those who sticked with the Intermediates, you can bet that the positions would have mixed up a lot... The problem is, we literally haven't had time to see it!

Disappointment for Norris: many positions lost on the first lap, the Sprint ends without points for him!

The driver who has the most to complain about on the Austrian Saturday is Lando Norris, who started from a wonderful P3 obtained this morning in the Sprint Shootout and author of a good start... The distaster for him struck in turn 3, when Verstappen's move on Perez (mentioned at the beginning of the article) compromised the racing line of the Englishman, immediately behind them.

Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Finding himself in P10, he preferred to finish the Sprint on Intermediate tyres and not come into the pits, thus finishing in P9. He completed most of the 24 laps behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc (in P12 at the finish line), fastest down the straights but terribly struggling through the corners - even when he fitted a set of Mediums for the final laps...

"The struggles were due to the track conditions and also to myself: I don't have the feeling with the car and I struggle a lot. There are no excuses and I have to improve in this situation, unfortunately these are scenarios that we hardly find never in a season, and now it's been happening for 3 GPs in a row. Now I look ahead and hope that tomorrow we can have a good Grand Prix. Let's hope it will be a dry race, also because yesterday the pace was good: let's hope we find the confidence to push again and we'll see what we can do... I don't think we'll have the pace of Red Bull, but if the opportunity arises, I'll try"

Charles Leclerc

What can we learn from this Sprint in view of the race?

Absolutely nothing! Irony aside, even if the track were to be wet in the race as it was in the Sprint, the limited length prevents us from understanding on which trend the race itself can develop. For example, a doubt remains as to what the Aston Martins could have done against Carlos Sainz's Ferrari with more laps available and the "tyre management" factor complicating things. Or, again, what is the real pace of the Mercedes?

Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Someone will object that not having answers to all these questions preserves the charm of the race, and in part I feel like sharing this rationale. On the other hand, however, what is the point of offering a truncated show on Saturday? Is the reason why Sprints exist really to attract more young fans, or is it just to justify the tickets cost at the racetrack with the presence of a shortened race on Saturday?

I deliberately leave this question unanswered: tomorrow at 15.00 CET there will be the start of the Austrian Grand Prix, and we will be able to enjoy a real show for an hour and a half.

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