It must be tough for F1 drivers to compete for two weekends in a row, and not only because of the physical strain but also due to the psychological implications the competition brings with it. While most people would crack under that pressure, F1 drivers can be considered almost superhumans, as they even make things look easy at times.
Just four days after the end of the Styrian Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen emerging victorious after a flawless weekend, things are stirring again in Austria, as the 9th race of the 2021 F1 season is underway. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas did rather well last weekend, claiming P2 and P3, after a grueling race with the Red Bulls, in which they noted that their opponent's car seems to have an extra edge.
The fight for domination continues this weekend, and team Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 is yet again out in front, chasing more valuable points for the championship. Max Verstappen was the fastest man in the first practice session, and surprisingly enough both Ferraris were right behind him, while Bottas was 4th and Hamilton 7th. But the two Mercedes-AMG drivers made a strong comeback in the second practice session, claiming P1 and P2 all for themselves, with Verstappen in third.
The three drivers then switched roles for the third practice session, all while being less than a second apart from each other. Today was an important day as drivers took part in the qualifying session which would establish everyone's position on the grid for tomorrow's race. Lewis Hamilton, who has just agreed to a two-year contract extension with Mercedes-AMG Petronas, completed a total of 18 laps throughout Q1, Q2, and Q3.
Photo: Daimler AG
He improved his pace by almost half a second by the end of the qualifying session, setting a lap time of 1:04.014. This is just slightly better than his best qualifying lap from the Styrian Grand Prix when he set a time of 1:04.067. This means he will be fourth on the grid for tomorrow's race.
Valtteri Bottas was not that far behind, and even though he managed to drive one lap more than his teammate did, he qualified in P5 today, as he was just 0.035 seconds slower. This means Valtteri was a bit faster in qualifying last weekend, although at the end of the day he will once again be starting in P5. Max Verstappen is poleman once more, while his teammate, Sergio Perez, was the third-fastest driver today. Lando Norris will be starting the race from P2.
Talking about today's events, you could say that Lewis Hamilton is feeling the heat, as he acknowledges the fact that the Austrian GP is going to be even tougher than the Styrian GP. "We continue to lack pace. We tried everything to get more out of the car but the underlying pace just isn’t good enough at the moment" he added.
Although there have been many cases in the past where cars would get illegal upgrades, there is no proof as of yet that the Red Bulls have been fitted with cars that go against the rulebook, and I think there are several other factors that are responsible for Verstappen's ascent.
One, he's one of the youngest drivers on the grid, and he's determined to score against the top players. Two, Red Bull Ring is the team's home circuit, so he must have been driving there more than anyone else. Going into tomorrow's race, Bottas is feeling quite confident: "I think race pace-wise we should be in better shape...I’m still expecting a big fight with Red Bull in the race". The main event starts at 3 PM local Austrian time tomorrow, so be sure to tune in to see how the rivalries unfold.
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
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