The data clues and questions ahead of sprint qualifying in Austria
After a single practice session, the teams are already preparing for action at the Austrian Grand Prix 2024.
With the new parc-fermé regulations for Sprint weekends, such as this weekend’s at the Red Bull Ring, teams will not be able to modify their cars until the end of the sprint race on Saturday afternoon. Therefore, what we saw in Friday’s single practice session may be a good indication of what today’s sprint qualifying will bring.
What clues do we have for sprint qualifying at the Austrian GP?
Another intense battle for Pole with Verstappen ‘favourite’ status
Despite a small apparent electronic problem with his engine when changing the differential distribution, the Red Bull driver is feeling extremely comfortable in Austria. Unlike some of the free practice sessions of the last few grands prix, there hasn’t been a single complaint about his car’s set-up.
The FP times and qualifying results this season support this feeling. However, it won’t be a pole decided by three tenths of a second as the gap to Oscar Piastri at the end of the FP reflects. It will be, as in recent circuits, a pole that will be decided by thousandths of a second and fought until the last one of them.
Norris, before going long at Turn 4, did a very strong Sector 1 and is, together with Max, the other great candidate for the sprint pole.
Ferrari is not looking so strong
The Italian team seems to be a step behind its competitors. The mechanics have had to work on modifying the set-up of Charles Leclerc’s car on a couple of occasions. And the pace doesn’t seem to be there to put them in the fight for pole alongside McLaren and Red Bull, just as it was in Spain.
Ferrari especially struggled in Sector 2, the slowest sector of the circuit. This is likely to be the place where the minimum differences in the fight for P1 will be made, as Sector 1 has only one corner and Sector 3 has barely just two high-speed corners.
What questions do we have for sprint qualifying at the Austrian GP?
Where is Mercedes standing really?
That’s the big question before the real action begins in Austria. Lewis Hamilton has reserved a set of softs for Sunday and has left no reference for us on his one-lap pace. And just when George Russell looked like he was going to give us one, Zhou Guanyu upset him on his flying lap at the exit of Turn 4.
Despite this, there is a mood of optimism at Mercedes and it looks like they could be in the fight for pole alongside McLaren and Red Bull or at least ahead of Ferrari. The car has been really stable and again, they seem to be in a good position for the sprint qualifying.
Will Alpine surprise one of the big names?
Esteban Ocon’s Top 6 in FP is really significant. With a lower top speed than Aston Martin and on a par with RB, the Enstone team showed a really competitive pace before sprint qualifying. They should be strong contenders to enter SQ3 with no problem, and will they be able to do something more like in Spain and surprise one of the top teams?
With Sergio Perez in poor form and the possibility of taking advantage of someone making a mistake looking for the last thousandth, they have an unbeatable opportunity.
Can Aston Martin fight for a place in SQ3?
It’s going to be a tough weekend for Aston Martin, that’s for sure. But as much as expected? On the shortest and least twisty circuit on the calendar, it’s the perfect opportunity for Fernando Alonso to work some of his magic and make a difference in the tight midfield.
With RB’s pace in doubt and Alpine still going strong, it will be tough for the Silverstone-based team. But the first feelings of AMR24 are not as negative as initially anticipated. It will be, as for pole, a very tight fight for a place in SQ3.
