1. Why did Verstappen lose so much time before the collision?
At the halfway point of the race, Max Verstappen was already 8.3 seconds ahead of Lando Norris. Just before the planned final pit stop, on lap 50, he was 6.9 seconds ahead. Four laps later, Norris was already in the DRS window. On the one hand, the world champion lost time due to a slow tire change. While Norris was dispatched in 2.90 seconds, Verstappen’s pit stop lasted 6.59 seconds. First, the mechanic had to use the impact wrench on the rear left a second time, then Verstappen could not be let go because Norris was in the fast lane.
On the other hand, the Dutchman lost because he had to put on used medium tires. Norris, on the other hand, still had fresh medium tires on the shelf. The reason for Red Bull’s strategy faux pas was a slightly misleading weather report. The Bulls had expected even higher temperatures on race Sunday. That’s why they preferred to use a set of medium instead of hard in practice on Friday. They definitely wanted to save two sets of the hard tires for the race.
The hotter it is, the greater the advantage of the hard tires. Red Bull planned the race with medium-hard-hard. On race Sunday it was hot, but apparently not hot enough. That’s why the medium turned out to be the better racing tire. However, Red Bull only had one set left for the final stint. Verstappen had then completed a fast lap in SQ2 on Friday. Red Bull attributes the performance disadvantage after the second stop to the tire offset against Norris.
2. Why was Norris punished?
On lap 64, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided. The outcome is known, as is the 10-second penalty for Verstappen. But what did Norris actually receive a 5-second penalty for? The Brit had already left the track three times before the duel. Race director Niels Wittich therefore showed him the black/white flag as a warning. On lap 59, however, Norris misjudged his attempt to overtake in turn three and went off the track. Wittich is also rigorous in such cases: although it was obviously a mistake that did not bring any sporting advantage, the track limit violation was punished.
Because the stewards issued the penalty quickly, Norris was able to serve the five seconds in the pits. When he returned to the pits after the collision with his damaged car, the mechanics waited for the time penalty to be served before changing the tires and nose. However, it quickly became clear that the damage to the McLaren was too strong and continuing was no longer an option. Has he officially served his penalty? According to the classification, not, but that doesn’t matter: Norris completed 64 laps, which is just over 90 percent of the race distance. This means that despite retiring, he is included in the race result – the penalty was offset and will not be converted into a grid penalty for Silverstone.
3. What were Hamilton and Albon punished for?
Lewis Hamilton and Alexander Albon also received penalties. Hamilton served his 5-second penalty during his second stop, while Albon’s time was added to his race result. Both had crossed the white line at the pit entrance. As is often the case, “crossing” is a matter of definition. The entire tire does not have to be over the line at the pit lines. This rule only applies to the track limits. When entering and exiting the pits, it is sufficient if part of the tire is over the line. You can imagine a wall directly behind the white line. If there is imaginary contact, there is a penalty.
4. Why was Hülkenberg stuck in Verstappen’s gearbox?
Nico Hülkenberg achieved a sensational result for Haas with sixth place. Hülkenberg was strong, but was he really so strong that he was stuck in Verstappen’s gearbox for laps? That actually had something to do with the short lap time and different strategies. Hülkenberg changed his tires extremely early. Because of the short lap time, he was lapped by Verstappen early on. With fresh tires, however, Hülkenberg was actually faster than Verstappen on worn tires. The Haas driver even briefly considered lapping back. The problem: He would have had to get away from Verstappen straight away. Otherwise, he would have been shown blue flags again straight away. Because he would have put more strain on his tires with the move, he preferred to drive a little slower behind Verstappen and benefit from slipstream and DRS.
5. Why was Perez so bad?
Max Verstappen had a disastrous race. The world champion himself said that everything that could be done wrong, he did wrong. He made no exceptions: from the strategy to the pit stops and the duel with Norris. The accident caused him to lose a lot of time on the track because he had to return to the pits with a puncture. He was subsequently given 10 seconds added to his race time – and yet he still finished in fifth place, while Sergio Perez only came in seventh.
The Mexican once again had a poor weekend, but it wasn’t quite as bad as it first appeared. On the opening lap, he collided slightly with Oscar Piastri. Perez’s RB20 was damaged quite badly, which meant that he not only lacked talent but also downforce compared to Verstappen.
6. Why was Hamilton so slow?
Perez was not the only big disappointment: Lewis Hamilton also had to accept a defeat that was clearly below his potential. While his teammate George Russell benefited from the collision at the front and inherited the victory, Hamilton only crossed the finish line 23 seconds later. The Formula 1 record winner had to retire after a duel with Carlos Sainz gave the position back to the Spaniard in the early stages. Then he received a penalty for crossing the white line and to top it all off, he – like fellow sufferer Perez – had to contend with a damaged car. “I think all the underbody was damaged in this race, but Lewis was particularly badly hit,” said Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff in defense of his protégé. The damage is said to have cost around two and a half tenths of a second per lap.
7. What went wrong for Leclerc?
Ferrari was off track again at the Austrian GP. In addition to poor performance, there were numerous other problems. In the sprint qualifying, Leclerc’s engine stopped, meaning he couldn’t cross the line in time to start his lap in SQ3. In qualifying for the Grand Prix, the Monegasque made a small detour into the gravel and therefore only started from sixth place. At the start, he was caught between Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez, damaging his front wing.
After the nose change, Ferrari actually expected that Leclerc could score points. But even with Norris’s retirement, it wasn’t enough. The Ferrari driver suffered the same fate as Nico Hülkenberg: after his pit stop, he caught up with Lando Norris – one lap behind. Leclerc could actually be much faster, but had to stay behind the Brit. “I was just happy when the race was over,” said a delighted Leclerc after finishing eleventh.
8. What was going on between the Alpine riders again?
9. How did Alonso set the fastest lap?
On fresh medium tires, Lando Norris drove the fastest race lap to date on lap 53. Under normal circumstances, he would have earned the extra point, but then there was a collision. Because Verstappen put on soft tires at the end, he was able to drive even faster on lap 68. However, Fernando Alonso thwarted his plans: the Aston Martin driver got fresh soft tires on lap 68 and drove 0.025 seconds faster than Verstappen on the last lap.
10. Why was Verstappen not penalized for the unsafe release?
During the first pit stop, Lando Norris complained about being obstructed by Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver had already finished changing his tires when the McLaren came to a stop. Verstappen was sent into the fast lane directly in front of Norris. The stewards decided against a penalty because there was no danger, which is what must be present for an unsafe release. In some racing series, it is enough for the driver to brake slightly in the fast lane – but in Formula 1 there must be an actual danger. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is also certain that Norris made the scene look more theatrical than it actually was: “He definitely did that!”
11. Why was Sargeant so far behind?
Even Williams team boss James Vowles is now aware that Logan Sargeant will no longer be a Formula 1 high-flyer. But the fact that he was the only driver to be lapped twice at the Austrian GP is mainly the result of a small contact on lap one. Sargeant damaged his front wing in a collision with Lance Stroll and then – like Leclerc – had to change noses on lap one. From then on, a safety car, which never came, was the American’s only hope.