The 2022 Austrian Grand Prix Predictions – By Joe Murphy
Round 11 out of 22 is upon us. No sooner have we got our heads around the carnage that was last week’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, we have another pulsating weekend of action ahead of us. Formula 1 heads to Austria in a round that marks half distance through this already incredible season and includes a Sprint Race. There has been multiple winners at this venue over the years, so what can we expect this time from the Red Bull Ring?
Red Bull’s weekend could go one of two ways…
I backed Max Verstappen to dominate last week’s events, and it looked like a good prediction when the Dutchman took the lead after only one corner. However, his weekend seemed to only go downhill from there, eventually picking up only six points after narrowly holding off Mick Schumacher in what was, to put it politely, some aggressive defensive driving. On the other hand, Sergio Perez had the opposite happen to him. He recovered from an early setback which saw him drop to 17th, to score a well earned podium. In doing so, he reaffirmed his status as number two in the standings, whilst closing the gap to his teammate above. This weekend could go either way. Red Bull’s early season unreliability could come back to bite them again, or they could dominate to a comfortable win, if not a 1-2 finish. Last week, was not mechanical issues. Honda themselves have described the issues as being something that is “behind them”. However, there is growing skepticism over the consistency of the MGU-K. Max Verstappen walked away with the win last year. If they can keep the car at maximum performance, then they look dangerous for a repeat of this result. If not, then there are multiple drivers looking to take advantage. The most obvious of those, race for Ferrari.
Keep your eye on Ferrari team orders…
Well, that is if they can sort their preferences out. With Carlos Sainz now a Grand Prix winner, it isn’t as simple for the Tiffosi. If Charles Leclerc was a runaway championship Contender, then it would be more simple. As of this moment, neither man has a better chance of winning the title that the other, you’d argue. They can ill afford to be battling each other like we saw last week. It very nearly cost them victory. Like Red Bull, this weekend depends very much on the reliability of the car. With Ferrari in particular, they may also need more than a bit of luck, with Red Bull fully expected to be quicker on all of Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon. I would back Charles to bounce back and beat his teammate, this time.
Better weekend ahead for George, but what about Lewis?
It can’t go any worse for George Russell. He only lasted around 100 metres in what was a rather scary home race. This weekend, he’ll have a battle to make his car truly competitive, but it is something he is more than capable of doing. Another top five finish is more than possible, although a podium may be a slight stretch. For that, he may need others ahead to falter. For his veteran teammate, it is slightly harder to predict. A superb podium last week was reassuring for the Mercedes team, although it’s important to note that Leclerc was on older, harder tyres and Max Verstappen suffered hugely with effectively a giant hole in the floor of his car. Even so, Mercedes look slightly more like the team that has dominated the sport over the last decade, although there is still a way to go. If Lewis could qualify on the second row or better after the Sprint Race, you never know what he is capable of achieving. I’d say that’s doubtful, although discount Lewis at your peril
Don’t discount Valtteri…
His teammate may have stolen the headlines last week, but our focus should be on the other side of the garage on this occasion. Alfa Romeo won’t be looking at a win here, nor a podium. With more than two elements of the Finn’s car changing, a back of the grid start is a likelihood. However, the Sprint Race could change things. Realistically, the car isn’t quick enough to make major moves in that short space of time. However, after a couple of consecutive disastrous results, you’d be foolish to forget just how good the Finn has been in his new car. Easy as he is to overlook at times, Valtteri could surprise a few here this weekend, perhaps racing the likes of Lando Norris, Sebastian Vettel, Estaban Ocon and Fernando Alonso for those precious championship points. Seventh or eighth is what I expect for Bottas this Sunday, although there’s every chance he could go slightly better around a circuit he knows well and has a good record at.
How will Haas and Alpha Tauri get on?
Both of these teams have had both great and terrible results here in the past. When it comes to their respective 2022 cars, they could be on for a strong weekend this time around. Mick Schumacher will still be bouncing after collecting his first points last week. Hopefully for the German, a weight of sorts would have been lifted following that finish and he can show us a new wave of confidence this week. For his teammate, Kevin Magnussen qualified P5 here not so long ago, back when Haas were the most competitive they have ever been. The tail has slightly fallen off his season in recent races, but there is not better place to rebound than this track. For Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, they could definitely be in contention for a points finish. The car seems to have taken a slight backwards step from 2021, but this venue is one they like, especially the Frenchman. They are both capable drivers and could certainly spring a surprise over the course of this weekend.
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