5 Bold Predictions for the Austrian Grand Prix

Round 11 is officially underway in Spielberg, Austria this weekend, with all but the race done and dusted. This 71-lap track is always full of surprises, and though it may be one of the smallest tracks on the calendar, the layout and constant elevation changes can always spell trouble for the drivers.

Now, before we get into my predictions, here is a look at how Qualifying set things up for the race Sunday:

1. Lando Norris

2. Charles Leclerc

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Lewis Hamilton

5. George Russel

6. Liam Lawson

7. Max Verstappen

8. Gabriel Bortoleto

9. Andrea Kimi Antonelli

10. Pierre Gasly

11. Fernando Alonso

12. Alex Albon

13. Isak Hadjar

14. Franco Colapinto

15. Oliver Bearman

16. Lance Stroll

17. Esteban Ocon

18. Yuki Tsunoda

19. Carlos Sainz

20. Nico Hulkenberg

    
    
    
    

VCARB Score Double Digit Points

VCARB have looked extremely quick this weekend. The track seems to suit the car well, catapulting them into legitimate points contention. Liam Lawson looks better than he has all season long, starting in a season-high 6th place, while Hadjar was only 174 thousandths of a second from making Q3.

We also know Lawson can be ultra-aggressive basically all the time, so it is already a given that we will not let his position be lost without a fight. If VCARB can put together a good strategy (which they have in the past few races) and Hadjar can find a way to make some overtakes, I think double-digit points are absolutely in the cards for VCARB as a team. It is only a matter of translating that rapid qualifying pace within the span of an entire race.

Max gets his Penalty Point

Red Bull, thus far, has failed to come through for their home crowd, as their drivers will be starting in 7th and 18th. Plus, we have already seen Max verbally upset, claiming the car is undrivable. I think that this, along with the pressure that will come from excelling in front of his team's home crowd, will bring out the patented Max Verstappen aggression that we know all too well.

Red Bull as a whole this weekend just has not found a way to give either Verstappen nor Tsunoda anything competitive to work with. Tsunoda is not even close to reaching a solid pace, while Verstappen has looked slower than Liam Lawson, who drives for Red Bull's junior team in VCARB. With Verstappen starting behind Lawson in the race, due to both of their aggressive driving nature, I think we could see something happen between the two that gets Max the one penalty point he needs for a race ban to be enforced next race weekend.

Ferrari Miss Out on a Podium... but not because of the Drivers

Would this be the most Ferrari way to lose a podium? Absolutely, but we are going with it.

Ferrari, having brought some major upgrades to the car, has looked great. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have praised the car's pace, expressing that it is the best it has felt all season long. Though I believe them, and still do think the pace of Ferrari will be good, I just will not buy into the fact that their stragety will not blow this for them.

It has become a joke at this point when thinking about how bad Ferrari's staff and overall stragety have been over the course of this season and the past couple of years. Too many times have directions been given too early or too late, or a pit stop was mistimed, or a miscommunication between the driver and the race engineer. It is because of this, along with the fact that we have yet to see a legitimate race pace within Ferrari, that I have a strong feeling that we will see something Ferrari-esque happen again that costs either Leclerc or Hamilton a podium.

8 Different Teams Score Points

So far, we have seen multiple teams show some decent enough pace to score some points. With the field relatively even across the board, and Austria prone to chaos-inducing racing, I think we could see a major shakeup than what the top-10 currently looks like.

A lot would have to happen for this to come to fruition, hence why it is bold, but crazier things have happened. Just last race weekend, we saw 8 teams score at least a point, so why not in Austria? With drivers like Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson lined up beside each other, or Charles Leclerc being in the middle of two hungry McLarens, it could result in someone dropping massively at the start, pushing other drivers up the ranks and into a points-scoring position.

It is far-fetched, especially for it to happen twice in a row, but do not be shocked if we see a diverse top-10 once again with the field looking the way it does.

Lando Norris Wins the Austrian Grand Prix by at Least 20 Seconds

In what looks like a close field overall, the only outlier to that would be Lando Norris. Despite not participating in FP1, no one really has come close to matching Norris' pace so far this weekend, which I am betting continues into Sunday's race.

It has been a brutal stretch for Lando the past few races. Coming off a DNF last race in Canada after colliding with his teammate, Austria is the perfect track for Norris to bounce back. He has always driven well around Spielberg, and as previously stated, has dominated the weekend up to this point. If this form can hold, while also surviving turn 1, I think Lando will run away with this race quickly and easily, producing a much-needed finish to a dominant weekend.

Stay tuned for more F1 content, and be sure to check out fansonlysportz.com for more sports media content posted daily.

Until next time!

-Matt Hylen