After the final installment of the first “Triple-header” of the 2021 season, Wheel2Wheel Reports looks at the takeaways from the Austrian Grand Prix, the second outing from the Red Bull ring in as many weeks.
Max in a different class…
Max Verstappen’s second win from the Red Bull Ring was never really in doubt. Lando Norris may have brought a stern challenge in qualifying, but on Sunday, the Dutch an was on another level. Neither Mercedes car could get anywhere near him as Max achieved his first grand slam of his career. As we head to Silverstone, a track Max has yet to win at, he has to be considered the favourite to take the win. Lewis Hamilton will have to make a statement and claw back some points in order to prevent the Red Bull man from running away with the world championship. Lewis is notoriously strong in the second half of the season, so let’s see what happens over the next few weeks before the summer break.
Mercedes dominance looks over…
With no win in five races, it appears that the “Silver Arrows” run of dominance is well and truly over. The constructor find themselves in unfamiliar territory where they are the outsider going into races, such as next time out in Silverstone, as underdogs. McLaren even out-qualified and out-raced Mercedes last week. With Lewis Hamilton signing a new 2 year contract extension before our next race, and with the future being rather more uncertain for teammate Valtteri Bottas, both drivers will need to turn around their fortunes as we approach the second half of the season.
Kimi and Tony struggle…
Both Alfa Romeo drivers were well outside the points and there is no sign recently of their fortunes changing. Kimi has that wealth of experience but even the “iceman” has made some uncharacteristic errors as of late. Antonio Giovinazzi has shown signs of improvement and development over the course of the season so far, but even he couldn’t magic up any points for his team around the Austrian hills. As we head to Silverstone, it remains to be seen whether the new sprint format will indeed benefit the team. They are guaranteed to finish the season with at least their already achieved point, but both will unquestionably be looking to add to their tally before December.
George Russell has proved a “point”…
There is nothing more George Russell could have done or given in his Williams around Austria over the last two weeks. He did his best to keep the simply quicker Fernando Alonso behind, but he could not see it through. It is hard to see any driver doing any better when given the same tools as the young Brit. With no teammate anywhere near him, the task is even harder for his Williams. At a time where George needed an incident further forward, no such development took place. As we head forward surely it remains a matter of when, not if, he will score points this season. Williams target is surely to finish outright above Haas, at the end of the season. With Latifi appearing to have about as much chance as Mick Schumacher, hope rests on Russell’s shoulders. The point George has proved is that driver quality, isn’t really under question.
McLaren consistent podium sitters now, and it’s brilliant to see…
I touched upon this earlier in the article, but well done Lando Norris. On the brink of pole position and disappointed with third place, the orange team have continued to make incredible steps this year. McLaren went through an abysmal spell over recent years before 2020. The team were often Q1 casualties but now, podiums are no longer shocking. Narrowly stopping short of winning races, the Constructor should finish P3 comfortably if they carry on the current trajectory. Daniel Ricciardo needs to up his game, and this may come with time. However, in the case of Lando, the young Brit is surely level with Max in being driver of the season. They’ve already proven they can beat Red Bull and Mercedes cars under certain conditions, they just need the cards to fall in the right order to claim that elusive win. Carlos Sainz came close in Monza in 2020, for example. This could easily happen this season, stranger things have happened in F1 that’s for sure.
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