F1 Austrian GP review: Ferrari secures unexpected podium thanks to Max Verstappen – Lando Norris incident. How Ferrari secured a podium finish with Carlos Sainz.

Between the two litigants, the third enjoys the rewards: George Russell won the Austrian GP, bringing Mercedes back to victory. The Englishman, with his second career win after the 2022 Brazilian GP, took advantage of the fierce battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. The fight ignited after the Dutchman’s last pit stop, during which he had a problem with the left rear tire, losing much of the advantage he had gained. The world champion fitted a set of used medium tires, while Norris, in the same lap, used a new set of yellow tires, which would have provided a performance advantage.

Verstappen slightly flat-spotted a tire at turn 4, losing some pace, and Lando Norris began his attack on the Red Bull: Lando got close to Max, even using the track limits, enough to earn a 5-second penalty. Verstappen did everything possible and impossible to avoid being overtaken on three different occasions at turn 3. The Dutchman, with a car that seemed decidedly slower than the McLaren, repeatedly changed his braking line, revisiting a “habit” that in his youth had earned him the “bad boy” reputation. Norris, in one of his four attack attempts, even went wide, taking the lead but sportingly gave the position back.

Verstappen overdid it on lap 64 by crashing into Lando, who was on the outside of turn 3: in the collision sought by the Dutchman, both drivers lost their respective rear tires. Max suffered a left rear puncture and managed to quickly return to the pits to restart with a set of soft tires after a stop of only 3 seconds, while Norris sustained more damage as the right rear tire delaminated, damaging the MCL38 enough to force an enraged Lando to retire.

Now let’s take detailed look at how the Austrian Grand Prix unfolded for the Maranello team.

Both Ferrari SF-24 cars started the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix with the yellow-banded Pirelli tires at the 4.318-kilometre Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. A set of brand new Medium tires saved from previous sessions. Usual procedures during the formation lap, useful to arrive at the starting grid with the most suitable temperatures. Carlos Sainz had a standard start while Charles Leclerc got entangled between Perez and Piastri, resulting in contact with his front wing. The damage was too great to continue, so the Monegasque had to replace it. When he returned to the track with Hard tires, he was in nineteenth position. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz closely followed the battle among the Mercedes.

The Spaniard immediately had to manage operating temperatures, but after three laps, his pace seemed good. So much so that he launched an attack on Hamilton, overtook him, and started chasing George Russell. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc was running in “free air.” His pace was very good, on par with the leaders. Race engineer Bryan Bozzi suggested he push but without overdoing it in turn 9, as doing so would shorten the tire’s lifespan. Lewis, being a seven-time world champion, didn’t give up on Carlos’s overtake and tried to fight back.

The Spaniard, however, seemed to defend himself quite well, although unlike the Briton, he couldn’t use DRS. The engineers at Ferrari praised the two drivers for their car management. Carlos seemed to be on “Plan A,” while Leclerc was asked what he thought of strategy “C,” likely related to extending the stint as long as possible. Leclerc wasn’t sure what to do and simply stated that the set of Hard tires he was using wasn’t very good.

The Monegasque’s prediction wasn’t far off, as two laps later, car number 16 was overtaken by Alexander Albon. The British-Thai driver had a newer compound, but still, it was a Williams. Confirmation that the white-circled compounds weren’t great came quickly, as Charles Leclerc requested and got another pit stop to mount new Medium tires.

He returned to the track last, behind Sargeant, overtaking him within a lap. Carlos Sainz continued to cover miles, complaining about various factors, including the “front limited” behavior of his SF-24. Riccardo Adami acknowledged this without much drama, urged him to push, and maintained that his pace was good. On lap 22, Lewis made his first stop. Ferrari didn’t react immediately, studied the situation, and opted for a stop a lap later.

The tire change was very quick. He also got Hard tires, hoping they wouldn’t last as long as Charles’s. Returning to the track, the Spaniard maintained his position over the next Ferrari driver. Nothing changed, in short. Additionally, the Briton was given a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. With the Medium tires, Leclerc showed a much better and more consistent pace. He no longer complained about poor performance. His race, unfortunately, was heavily compromised, but for now, he didn’t give up. The race was in a stalemate phase.

Sainz was in total management mode. Riccardo Adami asked him to keep an eye on his dashboard on the steering wheel to know how to manage various situations, including fuel. Therefore, he was asked to lift and coast, especially in the first sector. This measure was then extended for another 50 meters in the following laps. Charles was giving his all in eighteenth position. Bozzi asked him to be careful with micro-locks that could compromise the tires. According to the team’s projections, the possibility of reaching points existed.

Nonetheless, he was asked not to overdo the traction in turn 1. Another stop for Charles Leclerc. He switched to another set of Medium tires without any adjustment to the front axle load. The Monegasque had already made 3 stops compared to the single stop of all other competitors. Charles was going so fast that Norris, who had lapped him, saw the silhouette of the Italian car in his mirrors. Sainz’s tires still seemed fine, even after 15 laps.

For this reason, he was allowed to push a bit more at turn 7. Russell ahead of him had a 4-second advantage, while Hamilton behind him was about three and a half seconds behind, plus another 5 seconds due to the penalty. Leclerc complained about the situation ahead of him. Lando didn’t have a better pace than his; on the contrary, car number 16 was being held back by the McLaren.

However, even if he could attempt an attack, he wouldn’t have the pace to pull away as the Briton would then have DRS. It’s a strange situation. Bozzi informs him that the pit wall is content as the pace is good and the tires are being preserved. However, we add one fact: staying in the slipstream of the MCL38 certainly doesn’t help manage degradation and temperatures, and moreover, time is being lost. The Monegasque asks about the potential final position considering this unexpected problem.

Bryan takes his time and three laps later grants the Ferrari driver the opportunity to pass Lando. Let’s see what happens. Meanwhile, Sainz continues his run with tires that are gradually losing performance. Shortly after, he passes Norris, who then overtakes him again at the next corner. It’s a truly absurd situation, as both are losing lap time. Charles continues to be puzzled and makes it clear on the radio: “If I pass him, he’ll return the favor. We’re stuck, there’s nothing else to do, and obviously, it doesn’t seem right to me.”

On lap 47, Carlos is called into the pits. However, the radio communication comes late, and the Spaniard is forced to pit the next lap. For car number 55, there’s another set of Mediums to go to the end. Sainz returns to the track in sixth position, still behind Russell, who meanwhile has switched to Hards. Charles’ nervousness becomes evident in his driving when he nearly loses the car in T2. The Ferrari driver remains on Norris’s tail, and Bozzi, to calm him down, tells him to wait a bit longer to see what can be done.

The absurd thing is that Gasly behind him doesn’t care, attacks, and passes him. Leclerc is therefore inexplicably called to the pits again. Most likely, removing him from this situation was to calm things down a bit. Bozzi tells him he’ll be close to Hamilton as if that mattered.

Then he talks about Bottas, whom he could contend for 17th place. It would be interesting to understand what kind of futuristic vision the Ferrari remote garage studied because the points zone seems very far away. We can say that the Monegasque definitely doesn’t lose hope. In three laps, he overtakes Bottas and Tsunoda and then goes after Albon.

In the pit stop shuffle, Carlos is now in fourth position. There are 17 laps left, and the Spaniard will have to defend against Oscar Piastri, who is on the same Medium tire but with 5 laps fewer. Sainz seems to be in good form in this last phase of the race as he is gaining ground on Russell, now about 3 seconds ahead. His objective isn’t simple, considering he has to watch his back from the McLaren, which is now in his slipstream. Leclerc also overtakes the Williams driver, with the next station being Lance Stroll for 13th place.

When you least expect it, there’s a twist: Verstappen and Norris make contact. Lando is forced to retire due to damage to the floor and front wing, while Max gets a puncture on the left rear from the close encounter in turn 2. The Dutchman pits and returns to the race in fifth position behind Hamilton. Meanwhile, Piastri is too fast and passes Sainz, who at this point is third on the podium. Leclerc manages to overtake Stroll and Ocon until the race ends in 11th place. Without the contact at the start, the race could have undoubtedly offered greater satisfaction. Note: the Austrian anthem will not play today…