Formula One returns after a two-week break to begin the iconic “European Summer” stretch of the F1 season. The five-week, four-race stretch leading up to the summer break can make or break a team’s season as the 2023 season reaches the halfway point. It all begins in Spielberg, Austria, home to the Austrian Grand Prix. Here are our 2023 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix storylines and predictions.
About the 2022 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix
The 4.318km (2.68 miles) track, known as the Red Bull Ring, sits in the Austrian mountains and features three DRS zones. The track features only ten turns, but they vary from hairpins all the way to almost 90-degree turns. The 71-lap race will be live Sunday, July 2 at 9 a.m. on F1TV and ESPN.
Will Ferrari-Powered Teams Perform Well Again in Austria?
Last year, Ferrari-powered teams had an eventful weekend in Austria. Ferrari themselves finished second and third in the sprint race, while winning the feature race that Sunday. Simultaneously, Haas secured fourteen points across both races, which made all the difference in their battle for 8th place finish in the Constructors’ Championship. While Alfa Romeo failed to score any points, the end result was one of their better weekends in a disastrous second half. Will any of that carry over though?
While I win likely is not in the cards for Ferrari, two top-six finishes are within reason. The more compelling discussion surrounds Alfa Romeo and Haas. Haas’ 2023 season is disappointing given their Saturday showings. Much like Ferrari, their race pace has not matched their qualifying pace for a large part of the season. Their performance at the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago was a perfect showcase of that deficit.
Alfa Romeo meanwhile sits sixth in the Constructors’ Championship by a single point, but that is not truly representative of their season. The phrase that defines their season is consistently inconsistent. For example, AlphaTauri sit last in the Championships, but Yuki Tsunoda has as many top twelve finishes as both Alfa Romeo drivers combined through eight races. With a worse car than last year, the odds are against Alfa Romeo to earn points this weekend.
Prediction: Only Ferrari finishes in the points
The First True “New” Sprint Race Weekend Arrives
The late changes to the sprint weekend format ahead of Baku created the opportunity for more exciting racing during the sprint races. That did not manifest, however, due to the inability of cars to overtake each other in Baku. Across both races in Baku, a total of 23 overtakes occurred across both races. That lowly total is only three more than the 20 overtakes in Montreal last race, the lowest number all season.
The Red Bull Ring however is much better for overtaking than Baku City Circuit. The high-elevation circuit has three DRS zones, lots of straights and plenty of room to pass across the vast majority of the track. The first four turns of the track will be the spots to watch over the course of the weekend, given their ties to the DRS zones. It should be an action-packed weekend.
Prediction: The sprint race will have 20+ overtakes
Can McLaren’s Resurgence Continue?
McLaren’s start to the 2023 season could best be described as a self-imposed trip into Dante’s Inferno. Ahead of the 2023 Season, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella admitted the team was starting the season on an older development spec car due to changing plans mid-development. Those glaring issues were prominently showcased in the first two races, yielding the orange machines one DNF, two seventeenth-place finishes and a fifteenth. A lucky race in Melbourne, followed by a month-long break helped the team get back on track, however.
Outside of Monaco, the car has been a points threat and the drivers have only gotten better in the car. Rookie driver Oscar Piastri finished eleventh or better in three of the last five races, a marked improvement after early season concerns surrounded the Australian driver. If they keep up these improvements, with the drivers they employ, the team will be back in the points regularly in no time.
Prediction: One McLaren finishes the points.
The Back of The Pack Battle Royale.
While the top five teams consistently land at worst one driver in the points, and McLaren sits in their own mini-game, the bottom four teams sit in a miniature rat race. The difference between a seventh and ninth place in the Constructor’s Championship is two points, with sitting in an unjust AlphaTauri’s tenth place given Yuki Tsunoda’s performance this season. These teams are continually battling for the scraps at the end of the points, profiting off of every crash, mechanical issue and penalty dealt out to the top teams.
Each team of these teams has their moments. Alex Albon’s seventh-place finish in Montreal showcased how a good driver, in the right situation, can drag that suffering Williams car to a massive points finish. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda has six top-12 finishes, two better than the next closest driver on a bottom-four team. Valtteri Bottas, despite being inconsistent, has shown vintage glimpses of his former Mercedes self this year. Even Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg, who many were concerned about being washed up, showcased that he still has it during many qualifying sessions this year.
Prediction: Yuki Tsundoa finishes in the points
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What do you think heading into the Austrian Grand Prix?
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