Round 11 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship takes the competitors to the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
The Spielberg circuit is the shortest on the calendar with only 10 turns, although how many of them are “proper” corners, is up for debate.
It is also the second of three Sprint weekends, meaning qualifying comes after a single practice session on Friday.
Carlos Sainz will be riding high after his maiden pole was converted into maiden victory in Silverstone last weekend, the first driver to achieve that since Pastor Maldonado at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.
Will Sainz and his Ferrari team be able to take the fight to Red Bull? It will be close but the championship leaders will fancy their chances with Max Verstappen, who won both races held at the Spielberg track in 2021.
The circuit offers up several overtaking opportunities, into turns 1, 3 and 4, although a battle from turn 4 can rage into turn 6, the first of two long left handers in the middle sector.
And with a DRS zone on three straights, the action can get quite exciting in Austria. As we saw in 2020, a safety car can turn the race on its head, so Ferrari will want to ensure their strategy is rock solid.
Where will Mercedes feature in all of this? Hopefully very close to the fight at the front, because a six car fight on a lap barely longer than 60 seconds, would be the perfect encore to the sensational race in Silverstone just a few days ago.
Pole Winner – Max Verstappen
My definition of “pole position” is the fastest qualifier and Verstappen has a superb record in recent years around the Red Bull Ring.
The straights will play to the advantages of the Red Bull RB18, but Ferrari will be a threat on Friday for pole so it is by no means a slam dunk for the Dutchman.
Don’t discount Lewis Hamilton, he doesn’t have 103 F1 poles for no reason.
Race Winner – Max Verstappen
Red Bull had the fastest car in Britain last week, but circumstances prohibited them from showing it enough to win the race. That, as they say, is racing.
Overtaking is very possible in Austria and Verstappen is the driver in the richest form, it is foolish to look past him but again, it is not a certainty as the Sprint race could throw a massive spanner in the works if there was a collision or a technical issue.
Race Podium
1st – Max Verstappen
2nd – Lewis Hamilton
3rd - Charles Leclerc
Bold Predictions
1. Ocon finishes ahead of Alonso
2. Zhou scores points after his horror crash
3. Stroll outqualifies Vettel