Ferrari won and lost during Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix. They were on their way to secure a one, two finish when Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari blew an engine and caught fire during lap 58. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen took advantage of the virtual safety car and put on new tires. However, as the race restarted around lap 61, Leclerc’s car had developed a problem. His throttle was sticking. As he hit breaking zones, he had to let off the throttle earlier than usual. According to his radio chatter, he was pulling the accelerator pedal up with his foot because it was sticking. If that is indeed what was happening, his last ten laps were absolutely masterful. Managing a sticking throttle, at 170 miles per hour, as the race leader, with Max Verstappen bearing down on you, for ten laps is an amazing feat! Leclerc earned his fifth Grand Prix victory. This victory is more special as it is his first victory without being on pole.
Haas is starting to heat up as we head towards the midpoint of the season. Mick Schumacher finished sixth. This is Schumacher’s highest finish in his young Formula 1 career. He gains confidence every week as he has shown he can race wheel to wheel with champions. During the Sprint race he battled it out with Lewis Hamilton for over ten laps before the better Mercedes car finally took over. Schumacher’s skill is better than his car. During Sunday’s race at lap 25 he battled it out with Fernando Alonzo, Lando Norris and his teammate Kevin Magnussen. He eventually bested them all. Schumacher’s dedication to his craft is coming thru. It also helps that he has championship genes as well.
Six Teams were represented in the top ten points finish on Sunday. Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes were once again on the podium together. Sergio Perez was wrecked by George Russel on turn four of lap one causing Perez to eventually retire from the race during lap 26. Red Bull knew he couldn’t contend for a podium, so they decided to retire the car to save the mileage. Both drivers from Mercedes, Haas, Alpine and McLaren finished in the top ten. Sunday’s finish has McLaren and Alpine tied for fourth in the Constructors Championship. Mercedes continues to hold third with the continued consistent top 5 finishes of Hamilton and George Russell. In the drivers’ championship, Charles Leclerc moves back into second place, 38 points behind Max Verstappen.
Red Bull struggled today. It is unclear if Ferrari is gaining ground or if Red Bull failed to adjust correctly to the drastic change in temperature from Saturday’s Sprint Race to Sunday’s Grand Prix. Perhaps it is a little bit of both. Still, Verstappen managed to score 2nd place points and hold his lead. So long as Verstappen continues to remain consistently in the top three, he will be hard to beat in this year’s Championship. Next week will be a challenge for Ferrari, as Sainz will likely have a grid start penalty due to a power unit change.
