2024 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX RACE DAY REPORT
Overview:
The Austrian Grand Prix was a thrilling race that saw a surprising turn of events with Mercedes' George Russell securing an unexpected victory. The race took a dramatic turn when Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren) collided while fighting for the lead, causing Verstappen to drop down the order and Norris to retire from the race.
Starting from pole position, Verstappen led the race for most of the time. However, the race took an exhilarating turn when he engaged in a fierce and intense battle with Norris after their final pit stops on Lap 52.
Red Bull encountered a rare slow pit stop due to an issue with the left rear wheel, allowing Norris to close the gap to under two seconds. Norris made multiple attempts to overtake Verstappen, and on Lap 64, the two collided, resulting in punctures for both drivers. This allowed Russell, who was third, to take the lead and claim his second F1 victory.
While this race was disappointing for Norris and McLaren, as well as Oscar Piastri (McLaren) orginial start position being pushed from P3 to P7 after a penalty, he did manage to finish in second, securing points for himself and his team. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished off the podium finishing in third. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) came fourth, and Verstappen came fifth despite a 10-second penalty for the incident with Norris. This race result may have significant implications for the 2024 championship's outcome, as it could potentially shift the balance of power in the ongoing battle between McLaren and Red Bull.
Haas drivers Hulkenberg and Magnussen had a strong performance, finishing sixth and eighth, with Sergio Perez (Red Bull) between them. Daniel Ricciardo scored points for VCARB, and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) rounded out the top 10. It was an eventful day for Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who recovered from an early incident to finish 11th.
The Sauber team is still waiting for their first points of 2024, with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou finishing 16th and 17th. Despite a strong performance from Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), who set the fastest lap, he struggled with pace and also received a penalty, finishing 18th.
Norris ultimately retired after the damage from the collision with Verstappen, ending his promising day on a sour note and his point-earning streak for the 2024 season.
Race Report:
After an eventful Saturday at the Red Bull Ring, which saw Verstappen triumph in both the F1 Sprint and the Grand Prix qualifying, the focus turned to Sunday's main race. There was a slight change to the grid, as Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) was confirmed to start from the pit lane due to set-up adjustments on his Kick Sauber after qualifying, though he was already set to line up at the back.
The windy conditions posed some challenges, with Russell locking up on his way to the grid, which led to a check on his steering. All opted for medium tyres except for Zhou in the pit lane, who chose the hard compound.
Verstappen made a strong start from pole to lead, while Russell chased Norris for second, with Hamilton moving up to fourth. However, there was early trouble for Leclerc, who suffered front wing damage after contact with Piastri, forcing him to go in for his first of many pit stops and drop to the back 19th.
The battle between the Mercedes drivers was also entertaining. Hamilton briefly passed Russell before the latter retook the position using DRS. Further back, Sainz regained fourth from Hamilton, while Piastri also moved ahead of Perez. The first pit stops began on Lap 10, with Magnussen and Ricciardo being the first to switch to the hard tyre.
At the front, Verstappen had extended his lead to over five seconds from Norris as the race reached Lap 14, but Leclerc was struggling near the back, losing a position to Alex Albon (Williams).
As many teams considered a three-stop strategy, Leclerc's difficult day continued as he pitted for medium tyres and dropped to the back of the field again after gaining back some valuble positions, now potentially facing being lapped by Verstappen.
Norris was told the hard tyres were not performing well by his engeneers, though he had two sets of mediums available, which could be an advantage over Red Bull. The stewards were busy, issuing a 10-second penalty to Alonso for an incident with Zhou and a 5-second penalty to Hamilton for crossing the pit entry line.
Verstappen pitted on Lap 24, followed by Norris, leaving Piastri briefly in the lead before he also pitted. The stewards then investigated Verstappen for an unsafe pit release. Perez received a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pits, and the Haas drivers worked together to hold off a train of cars behind them.
The Alpine teammates, Ocon and Gasly, battled for position, with Ocon ultimately prevailing. The stewards cleared Verstappen's earlier pit lane incident, and he extended his lead to 8 seconds over Norris.
However, on Lap 40, Verstappen reported his tyres were not performing as he had hoped, while Norris set the fastest lap (1'08.016). Battles continued throughout the field, as Russell pitting for hard tyres. On Lap 52, both Verstappen and Norris pitted for medium tyres.
Verstappen's pit stop was slightly slow due to a stubborn left-rear wheelnut, however, he still emerged ahead of Norris, though the gap had narrowed to under two seconds.
Norris used DRS to close in on Verstappen, setting up a thrilling battle for the lead in the final 16 laps. After an unsuccessful attempt to pass Verstappen in Turn 3, Norris told his team that Verstappen saw his attack and changed his line twice to illegally defend. Norris was shown a black-and-white flag for track limit violations as he continued to chase Verstappen down.
Norris tried a late move on Lap 59 in Turn 3 and briefly took the lead but had to let Verstappen back through after running off the track. This led to a track limits investigation for Norris, but the fight didn't stop there.
Two laps later, the tables turned as Verstappen had to run off the track in another duel for the lead. However, the tensions between the two drivers boiled over on Lap 64, resulting in a collision that left both with punctures and forced them to pit.
While Russell took the lead and Piastri moved into second, Norris remained in the pits and ultimately retired due to the damage. Verstappen returned to the track but had dropped to fifth, and a Virtual Safety Car was called. Meanwhile, the stewards determined that Verstappen was at fault for the collision with Norris and issued him a 10-second penalty.
Piastri made a valiant effort to catch Russell at the front but ultimately fell short. The Mercedes driver secured his second Formula 1 victory. Piastri's McLaren finished just 1.906 seconds behind Russell, with Sainz taking the final podium spot for Ferrari ahead of Hamilton in fourth.
Despite a 10-second penalty, Verstappen held onto fifth place, ahead of Hulkenberg in sixth. Perez added to Red Bull's points haul with seventh, while Magnussen scored points for Haas in eighth. Ricciardo and Gasly rounded out the top ten.
Leclerc missed out on points, finishing in 11th after his four pit stops. Ocon claimed 12th after his earlier tussle with his teammate, and Lance Stroll was the top Aston Martin driver, finishing in 13th. Yuki Tsunoda (VCARB) and Albon took 14th and 15th, followed by the Sauber duo of Bottas and Zhou.
Alonso, who set the races fastest lap (1'07.694s), but finished in 18th, and Logan Sargeant (Williams) was the final driver to cross the finish line in 19th.
Norris was the sole retirement due to his unfortunate collision with Verstappen, marking his first DNF of the season.
