A quick turnaround after an exciting British Grand Prix last weekend, with Max Verstappen trying to win his 4th Austrian Grand Prix for the home team Red Bull Racing. The Red Bull Ring in Austria has managed to host 4 Grand Prix over the past two years due to Covid, with Mercedes’ winning both races in 2020 and Verstappen winning both in 2021.
This race will also showcase the second ‘Sprint Race’ weekend for season 2022, after the first such weekend at Imola was won by Verstappen in round 4. With more points on offer this weekend than most, it’s going to be crucial for the Ferrari squad to get maximum points again, after Carlos Sainz first career victory last week at Silverstone. Let’s dive in and try and make some predictions.
2022 F1 Betting Tips
British GP Review
The start was marred by an insane collision at the first corner, which ended in Zhou Guanyu skidding upside down all the way to the barriers, in a sickening collision that thankfully didn’t see the Chinese driver suffer any significant injury. As a result of this crash, Guanyu, George Russell and Alex Albon all retired from the race, with several other drivers suffering damage. The crash caused a red flag, stopping the race for some time.
At the restart, the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers battled hard into turns 1, 2 and 3, which saw Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez tangle, causing damage to both cars. Perez eventually pitted, however Leclerc decided to live with the damage. On lap 10, Sainz made an error at Becketts, making it an easy pass for Verstappen to take the lead. 2 laps later, however, Verstappen had a problem, later discovered to be debris hanging off his car which hurt his downforce, meaning Sainz and Leclerc were able to cruise past the stricken Red Bull.
Sainz pitted on lap 21 for hard tyres, Leclerc taking the lead before stopping on lap 26, leaving Lewis Hamilton in the lead of his home race. Leclerc came out of the pits again behind his teammate, however quickly got past him after some Ferrari team orders. Hamilton stopped on lap 34, returning to the track in 3rd with fresher tyres than the Ferrari pair. The race appeared to be cruising towards a conclusion, with our man Leclerc looking odds on to take a much-needed win. Then, on lap 39 Esteban Ocon’s Alpine decided it was finished, and Ocon promptly parked his vehicle on the old pit straight, bringing out the safety car. Everyone stopped, except Leclerc, all but ruining another certain Leclerc victory.
Sainz got by Leclerc quickly on new softs, and cruised to victory, his first career win. Behind him was some sensational racing between Leclerc, Perez and Hamilton, with Perez taking 2nd, Hamilton 3rd and Leclerc 4th.
Austrian GP Preview
Practice 1: Friday 21:30 - 22:30
Qualifying: Saturday 01:00 - 02:00
Practice 2: Saturday 20:30 - 21:30
Sprint: Sunday 00:30 - 01:30
Race: Sunday 23:00 - 01:00
The track at the Red Bull Ring has been dominated by the home team, Red Bull Racing, for the past few seasons. Even at the height of Mercedes’ dominance, they still rarely dominated Grand Prix weekends at this circuit, with Red Bull always bringing a competitive package to their home venue.
I see this weekend playing out quite similarly to last years Austrian and Styrian Grand Prix. Verstappen is the deserved favourite heading into this weekend, with the best car and engine package in the Formula 1 right now. Max would have been disappointed with how the British Grand Prix eventually played out; however, he would have been encouraged by the pace the Red Bull upgrades provided him. The Red Bull was easily the quickest car throughout the weekend in the dry, with Max also looking generally the quickest in the wet.
As always at this circuit, amongst the Styrian mountains, the weather is a concern. At this stage, there is some rain predicted for Friday, however most of the weekend appears to be dry. However, the weather comes in fast and heavy at this circuit, so there is always the possibility of some crazy action throughout the weekend.
Despite this, I only see one winner. The Ferrari should be solid here with its brilliant traction, however the slow to medium speed corners and the long straights lends itself to a Red Bull and Verstappen weekend. I’ll give Leclerc love for Pole Position (Fastest in Friday Qualifying), but otherwise I see this as being a Red Bull and Verstappen rout.
I believe the Mercedes will be easily the 3rd quickest team, however I don’t see them being as quick as they were at the British Grand Prix and see the podium consisting of Red Bulls and Ferraris.
One driver with a great history here is Lando Norris. I expect him to outperform the McLaren here and push for a top 6 finish.
Charles Leclerc Pole Position ($2.46 at Betfair) 1.5 Units
Max Verstappen Sprint Race Winner ($2.45) 1.5 Units
Lando Norris Top 6 ($2.38 at Neds) 2 Units
Max Verstappen to win
$2.00 (5 Units)
