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Few would have predicted the outcome of the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, but what did it teach us?
Red Bull’s home race in the Styrian mountains above Spielberg, Austria can be characterised by a slow start and a chaotic end.
Max Verstappen dominated the weekend, topping each session before the Grand Prix. However, the wind was taken out of the reigning champion’s sails during Sunday’s race.
So, what are the key moments from the unexpectedly entertaining 2024 Austrian Grand Prix?
Anything can happen
George Russell will be the first to tell you anything can happen in a race, even if the ending seems predictable. Verstappen had been comfortably in the lead for all of the Austrian Grand Prix. However, halfway into the race Verstappen began to struggle with his tyres.
We had seen high degradation and tyre wear throughout the Grand Prix and Verstappen’s RB20 was not immune to this. The gap to Lando Norris in P2 slowly decreased from eight to six seconds.
Verstappen pitted on lap 53, followed by Norris. Red Bull had a slow 6.5-second stop while McLaren’s was only 2.9 seconds. This mistake ate into Verstappen’s remaining gap to Norris and they re-joined the race with Norris pressuring the race leader within DRS.
On lap 64 after a fierce battle for the lead, Verstappen and Norris came into contact, causing a puncture for both drivers. The race leaders entered the pits. Norris retired after a slow stop, while Verstappen rejoined the race in P5.
Therefore, Russell was promoted from P3 to race leader with just six laps remaining. This incident also moved Oscar Piastri up into P2 and Carlos Sainz to P3 after the Australian overtook the Spaniard on lap 65.
After all that last-minute chaos, Russell crossed the line to win the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. His only other F1 victory was in 2022 at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix where he secured his maiden win. Certainly, an unexpected but welcome uplift for Mercedes, who have struggled so far this season but have demonstrated improved pace over the last few races.
Mercedes becomes the fourth winning constructor this season
For those who may have worried that 2024 would be a repeat of the 2023 dominance of Red Bull and Verstappen, the first half of the season has been exceptionally competitive.
Verstappen is still performing well for Red Bull, winning seven of the eleven races so far. However, four other drivers and three other constructors have raced to victory in 2024.
Sainz won for Ferrari in Australia while teammate, Charles Leclerc achieved his home race victory in Monaco. Norris secured his maiden F1 win in Miami and Russell added to his wins in Austria. Thus, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes have all collected a win in just under half the season.
The 2024 Drivers’ Standings are much closer than F1 fans of recent years are used to. While Verstappen leads with 237 points, Norris is rapidly catching on 156.
However, both drivers will have suffered from the dip in points after the Austrian Grand Prix. Norris did not finish the race and picked up zero points, whereas Verstappen collected only 10 – much less than the championship leader is used to.
Consequently, Leclerc is now within six points of Norris. He has 150 points in P3. His teammate, Sainz is not far off in P4 with 135 points.
Arguably, Sergio Perez has been letting down his Red Bull teammate in the Constructors’ Championship, with the Mexican driver sitting in P5 on 118 points and a recent dip in results.
McLaren’s Piastri in P6 on 112 points and Mercedes’ Russell in P7 on 111 points are close on Perez’s heels.
As a result, the four winning constructors of the season – Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes – have a close battle in the Constructors’ Standings. Red Bull hold onto their lead with 355 points, with Ferrari close behind on 291 in P2. McLaren have 268 points in P3, while Mercedes are on 196 in P4.
The Alpine battles continue
A rivalry that has almost become inevitable is that of the two French Alpine drivers – Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
After a dramatic incident between the two at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, Alpine soon announced that Ocon would be leaving the team at the end of the season.
Additionally, earlier this week the team announced that Gasly had re-signed with the Viry-Châtillon and Enstone-based outfit.
The pair continued to clash at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. By lap 36, both drivers moved past Fernando Alonso and Gasly had briefly passed his teammate for P11. However, Ocon defended and Gasly reported on the radio that he was pushed off the track.
Five laps later, the Alpines were still scrapping. Gasly finally managed to overtake his teammate, but Ocon held on to the back of Gasly before they both pitted.
Haas perform well at the Red Bull Ring
Haas had something to celebrate after the Austrian Grand Prix. Nico Hulkenberg, who is moving to Sauber in 2025, finished in P6 and collected eight points. His teammate, Kevin Magnussen crossed the line in P8 for four points.
Before the Austrian Grand Prix, Alpine had passed Haas in the Constructors’ Standings for P7. This was due to the French team’s uplift in performance and a double points finish at the previous race in Spain. The Haas drivers failed to score in Barcelona.
Haas have now reclaimed P7 following a successful weekend in Spielberg. In addition to their performance in the Grand Prix, Magnussen finished in P9 during the Sprint Race – just one position off the points. In a qualifying form that has become famous, Hulkenberg reached Q3 in Grand Prix Qualifying and started the race from P9.
Previously, Austria has been a successful circuit for Haas, with both drivers picking up points in 2022. Mick Schumacher finished in P6 for eight points, his best result for the team, and Magnussen in P8 for four points. Schumacher also collected the Driver of the Day Award with 24.5% of the vote.
Ricciardo redeems himself under extreme pressure
Red Bull is known for making mid-season changes to their driver lineup, particularly with their sister team. RB driver, Daniel Ricciardo suffered from rumours that he is on the verge of losing his seat to Red Bull and RB reserve driver, Liam Lawson.
However, despite the immense pressure on the Australian’s shoulders, Ricciardo managed to redeem himself at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. In his 250th F1 race, the 34-year-old crossed the line in P9 for two points.
His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda had a less happy race. He failed to score points, finishing in P14. The Japanese driver was also outqualified by his teammate during Grand Prix Qualifying, with Ricciardo qualifying in P11 and Tsunoda in P14. This brings the head-to-head Qualifying record from 3-8 to 4-8 in Tsunoda’s favour.
Has the much-loved, popular Australian done enough to convince RB that he should keep his seat? Or, will the team need to see his performance continue, scoring more points over the next few races? However, it may also be too little, too late if RB already made their decision.
Featured Image Credit: @PET_Motorsports on X