Ten races, seven victories, 69 points ahead in the drivers’ championship: Max Verstappen looks happy as he looks back on his most recent victory in Barcelona and his triumph two weeks earlier in Canada. Then his smile gives way to serious expressions. The Formula 1 world champion puts his brilliant statistics for this Formula 1 season into perspective: “I could also say we won, everything is good – but of course I don’t see it that way,” he reported on Thursday in the paddock of the Red Bull Ring in Styria: “At the moment everything is a bit more difficult for us, we have to be honest about that.”
Verstappen loves the wheel-to-wheel duel. But even more so is the wonderful feeling in the cockpit of being able to play with his car. When the RB20 races over the curbs with joy, when you can enjoy the reduced tire wear like last year, when Verstappen played with everything, including his opponents.
“Things cannot be solved overnight”
Winners like the Dutchman are only satisfied when they dominate. These days, just before the race weekend in Styria with the sprint (Saturday, 12:00 p.m.) and the Grand Prix (Sunday, 3:00 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for Formula 1 and on Sky), Verstappen is dissatisfied. “It’s clear that we’re missing a few things. (…) We have to work on that. The driveability of the car and the balance,” says the champion. The competition has known that for a long time. The postscript probably makes them sit up and take notice: “But these things can’t be solved overnight.”
Red Bull under pressure. This is no longer news ahead of the eleventh of 24 Grands Prix, recent victories notwithstanding. The claim that the best car in this phase of the World Championship bears the name McLaren has also become accepted. Since the race in Miami, where Lando Norris won, the MCL38 has been considered the benchmark. It can be used perfectly on any type of track.
Verstappen appears as a witness, although he has not yet driven a single centimeter in the new “lead vehicle.” “Better balance,” “strong front axle,” an attacking model in curves, “without the tires overheating.” According to the list, the lead should be enormous. There are nuances.
Everyone is chasing him
Norris started from pole position in Barcelona because he was a touch faster: 0.02 seconds. He gave away the advantage the next day at the start. Verstappen welcomes such presents with open arms. He and his team need them now to be able to save themselves from the hunted crowd and make it to the finish. McLaren is only the first of the promising pursuers. Mercedes seems to be on the verge of returning to the top, Ferrari is expecting its tuning, which was rather ineffective in Spain, to have a better effect in Austria.
The trend is in favor of an overtaking maneuver past Red Bull on the Austrian racing team’s home track. However, the pursuers have one weakness in common: they make more minor mistakes than the world champions. Norris blames himself for his start, the team for longer pit stops, Mercedes showed a need for optimization in its strategy, Ferrari seemed slowed down despite new parts, and the drivers were divided.
Norris speaks of “tiny little things. A lot of things were at the level we need so that we can win some races.” If not everyone competed together against Verstappen: “Against one of the best drivers in history, against one of the best performing teams.”
Verstappen’s confession
What could Norris have meant? The self-image of Verstappen and his team, their deep confidence in doing everything right. Red Bull won 22 of the 23 races last year, Verstappen 19. This year’s ratio is not much worse. But the danger of losing this mental lead grows with the feeling of happiness at McLaren at rediscovering the long-lost belief in their own strength.
The last constructors’ title for the famous Formula 1 team was 26 years ago. McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari have felt for weeks that they are in the position to force Red Bull into making mistakes if they don’t make the smallest one themselves: “Only one thing didn’t go perfectly (in Barcelona/ed.)”, said Norris, “that was it.”
Verstappen sees the threat and reacts publicly. His confirmation on Thursday that he wants to drive for Red Bull in 2025 is intended to combine forces. He does not want to stir up unrest in the team in view of Mercedes’ aggressive advertising. This was followed by a cry for help from within because he has to do more than is possible: “We have to make sure that we make the car better. Then I wouldn’t have to drive 101 percent every time.”
Verstappen takes pole position for sprint in Austria
World champion Max Verstappen starts from pole position in the Formula 1 sprint in Austria. The 26-year-old Dutchman earned pole position for the short race on Saturday (12:00 p.m./Sky) in Spielberg with a time of 1:04.686 minutes. At Verstappen’s employer’s Red Bull Ring, McLaren driver Lando Norris finished second in the time trial on Friday, just 0.093 seconds behind, with his teammate Oscar Piastri coming in third. The German Nico Hülkenberg drove his Haas racing car across the finish line in 17th place.
“It’s great to be first here. It was a fantastic day in front of my fans,” said Verstappen. “We still have a lot to do, but this was a very good start to the weekend for us.”
Verstappen had already secured pole position in the sprint in Miami and now has the best prospects for another victory. The three-time champion had previously had electronic problems in training and had to take a short break. In qualifying, Verstappen set the best time in all three sections, only at the very end it got tight for a moment. The course in Styria is one of his favorite tracks. Also because thousands of Dutch fans support him in the stands.
The third of a total of six sprint weekends this season will take place in Austria. After the 100-kilometer competition, in which the winner receives eight World Championship points, qualifying for the actual Grand Prix will take place on Saturday afternoon one day later.
Before the eleventh of a total of 24 races of the season on Sunday (3 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for Formula 1 and on Sky), defending champion Verstappen is comfortably ahead of Norris in the overall standings with 69 points. Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari is only two points behind in third place. (dpa)
