I completely forgot that it was a Sprint Weekend until I watched Sprint Qualifying, completely confused as to why qualifying was on a Friday. My distaste for Sprints is well known, so can you really be surprised that I nearly erased the format from my mind completely? Regardless, we still get cars on a track and, as a motorsport fan, that is why I am here.
The Sprint wasn't the best sprint that Formula One has seen. However, it was kicked started with an extra formation lap, to add to your excitement. Or not, as it meant less laps in an already short "Sprint" to the line. Talking of the line, in this case the starting line, it was once again Red Bull versus McLaren. Or, Max Verstappen versus Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, which transpired into a very interesting battle once it was lights out. Norris would go on to make a successful lunge on Verstappen several laps in, with the latter not giving up the fight easily. He would get pass Norris and take the lead once again, after the McLaren driver failed to close the door and defend his lead. Piastri would also take advantage of this, moving up into second. If Norris is serious about becoming a challenger in the battle with Verstappen, he need's to avoid mistakes like these. Mistakes Verstappen wouldn't dream of making. Or would he?
Another driver racing a little bit too optimistically was Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas. A late and aggressive lunge on Fernando Alonso took both drivers onto the runoff area, with the latter losing two places in the process. Hulkenberg would pay for his crimes with a 10 second time penalty and 2 penalty points for the German driver to take home.
Elsewhere, DRS proved itself to be ever so effective here at the Red Bull Ring. As shown by the Alpine drivers of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, as they battled for the lower places of the top ten. But, it would be Sergio Perez to take home the final point for Red Bull in 8th, as his teammate took the chequered flag for another Sprint Race win. Contrast, much? The McLarens of Piastri and Norris would join Verstappen in the Top Three.
The Sprint may have been one of cleanliness and respect between drivers, however the main Grand Prix was anything but, particularly in the latter stages in scenes that resembled some of the fallings out of 2021. Some may have been unsurprised to see that Verstappen was once again involved in the calamities, but with Norris racing alongside the Red Bull for a long period of time, there was almost a gut feeling that this battle was going to end in tears despite the respect that the two have (or had) for each other. More on that later.
The start of the Grand Prix was simple. Much like the Sprint the day before. Everyone bar Zhou Guanyu was starting on the medium tyre, the latter on the hard and in the pit lane. There were some early entertaining battles, including one between Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri on lap one that would see the Ferrari have to pit for a new front wing. The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton found themselves in a tense battle for 3rd and 4th in the early stages of the race also, before Hamilton had to give up his place to the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz after overtaking the Spaniard off the track on lap one. Piastri, now behind Perez, made a stunning move on the Red Bull around the outside of turn six. Something that isn't done there too often. And, then there was Alpine, with both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly racing wheel to wheel, sensibly, for once.
Two of the most impressive drives of the race came from the Haas drivers of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, who finished 6th and 8th respectively, taking home a good haul of points for the American team. The duo were also some of the first drivers to make their first pit stops, choosing to pit early than expected in a strategy that obviously worked wonders. As did Magnussen's reluctance to look after his tyres, telling the team "f**k that!" Ah, never change, Kev!
Leclerc had a miserable race. From having to pit at the end of lap one, to making a 3rd stop before it was even half ran. You can imagine the pain the Ferrari driver was going through as Alex Albon's Williams sped past him at one point. And, it seems that many were having a time of it out on track. From being stuck in DRS trains to struggling on the hard tyre, for some it was not ideal. For others, penalties became the bane of their race, keeping the stewards hot on their heels throughout the 71 laps. Both Hamilton and Albon would be on the receiving end of 5 second penalties after crossing the pit entry line, Perez would also receive 5 seconds for speeding in the pit lane. Red Bull would also find themselves being investigated, with no further action, for an unsafe release with Verstappen as he was released into Norris' path. However, it would be a down-beat Fernando Alonso taking the brunt with a 10 second penalty after contact with Zhou at turn three. But, of course, the big story to come from this race was the chaos that was born out of the lead battle between Verstappen and Norris that was initiated after a very rare slow stop from Red Bull.
The latter stages of the race saw Norris catching Verstappen at a rapid rate, helped by the fact that the Red Bull was struggling for grip. Over several team radio messages, Norris would complain about Verstappen moving under breaking, or several times during a defense. If you know motorsport, you will know that this is not the safest thing to do and is actually against the rules. However, Norris would get a chance to pass going into turn three, where he locked up, taking to the run off, before repeating it all again a few laps later with Verstappen being the driver having to take evasive action. With Verstappen still leading, and Norris ever so closer, it was a matter of when, not if, for a Norris overtake on the reigning World Champ. However, third time lucky quickly became third time unlucky, with the duo colliding, both coming away in scenes that was full of chaos, punctures and damage. Verstappen would come in for for repairs, coming back out in 5th, the position he would finish in. Norris would DNF. To add to Norris' woes, he would also receive a 5 second time penalty for track limits after being given a black and white flag while battling with Verstappen. Talking of Verstappen, the stewards would decide he was to blame for the collision, giving him a pointless 10 second time penalty that effected him to no ends. Is this the beginning of 2021 all over again? I for sure hope not. We want fair and entertaining racing.
So, who won, I hear you ask? Well, that feat went to Russell, with Piastri and Sainz joining him on the podium. Phew, what a race. Could this end up being quite a pivotal point in this year's championship? We'll have to wait and see.
Next up: Silverstone!
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