Part two of a triple header, and the first of two consecutive races, Wheel2Wheel Reports predicts how events will unfold after an extremely interesting Saturday qualifying.
Verstappen secures consecutive poles
It shows how far Red Bull have come when Max Verstappen secured yet another pole for this season. It is amazing to think that the Dutchman had such a long wait for his maiden pole, as they come so thick and fast these days. Never seriously troubled, Max sets himself up nicely for yet another win tomorrow around a track he is very good at. Anything can happen in Formula 1, but it’s a relatively safe bet that Max will take the 25 points and yet again extend his lead at the top of the tree.
Alpha Tauri fly
Despite a three-place penalty for Yuki Tsunoda, it was a hugely successful day of qualifying for the Italian team. Pierre Gasly always looked strong and even topped Q2 at one stage whereas his counterpart also managed to get into Q3. With the infringement moving him down the order to eleventh for lights out tomorrow, there is still a great chance that both cars can score well, just like in Azerbaijan. Gasly continues to be terrific at a consistent level and the Japanese rookie seems to have found his feet and more confidence, as of late. Expect a double points score Sunday.
Ocon and Danny struggle, but will redeem on raceday.
Both Estaban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo in the Alpine and McLaren respectively, endured surprisingly poor qualifying sessions. The reason they were so surprising is because of the excellent results both these drivers achieved in practise sessions by being relatively close to the leaders. On Sunday, especially at this track, you can expect them to turn it around and show off the pace these two cars have. The pace is there, as seen with their teammates fantastic results in qualifying.
Bottas for a podium, and a deserved one at that.
Valtteri Bottas is having a hard time in his Mercedes at present. A combination of bad luck and mistakes (both this weekend and over the entire season thus far) means VB starts 5th tomorrow. However, at a circuit where the Finn is incredibly strong, it is this writer’s personal opinion that he will take a step on the podium come the conclusion of Sundays events. Which step? That remains to be seen.
George to score a point – surely!!
Lining up P10 for the start tomorrow, there is surely a huge opportunity here for George Russell to score at least a point, in his Williams, this weekend. He showed the pace on Saturday to show him and his car are useful in Austria. If he can keep himself put of trouble and take advantage of any opportunities that become available, then surely this is the time he scores his first point in that car.
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 