This weekend’s central storyline is whether Red Bull/Verstappen will sustain dominance or we’ll see sustained competition from McLaren/Norris, Ferrari/Leclerc, and Mercedes/Hamilton.
The second of the summer triple crown of Formula 1 motor events will take place this weekend at one of the most picturesque sights on the calendar, the Red Bull Ring in the southeast part of Austria near Graz. As the race is named, this is the home event for the team that has dominated the sport with the expertise of Max Verstappen, who has won three consecutive world championships and four times in Austria.
The circuit is in front of the former Ostereichring, the site of many Grand Prix races. There is much history, too. The race eventually dropped and then returned in the 1990s with the name of the A-1 Ring before the circuit sold out to the company known for its energy drinks, where it is today.
For round 11 of the Formula 1 World Championship, Verstappen and its many Dutch fans who come to see him will have a task to go up against the recent driver and a team that has made Formula One more competitive, namely Lando Norris and his McLaren. Norris is especially adept at this circuit as he prepares to return home for the British GP, which will run at Silverstone, his home circuit.
Norris has a long way to go to catch up with Verstappen, who has a 59-point lead in the Driver Standings. He’s also battling Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the #2 spot (Norris has a two-point lead after ten races). Ferrari is no stranger to the podium here, having won seven Austrian GPs. That means Norris must be competitive with Verstappen, who won last week’s Spanish GP, and Leclerc, keen to rebound from last weekend’s disappointing fifth-place finish.
Then there is the seemingly refreshed Lewis Hamilton, who nabbed a podium spot in Barcelona, and the Mercedes team that nearly got a second, with George Russell finishing fourth. Both drivers will be like Norris, primed to run a good race before returning home to Silverstone next weekend.
This weekend’s central storyline is whether Red Bull/Verstappen will sustain dominance or see sustained competition from McLaren/Norris, Ferrari/Leclerc, and Mercedes/Hamilton. Free practice sessions get underway at 6:30 AM Eastern time, televised on ESPNU.
