After the scintillating race two weeks ago in Montreal which saw Daniel Ricciardo take the spoils, Formula One returns to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix. Join The Roar for live commentary from 9:45pm AEST.
The A1-Ring, or Red Bull Ring as it’s been rebranded in recent years, will play host to the eighth round of the championship – the venue’s first race for 11 years.
Despite their problems in Canada, Mercedes AMG are still arguably favourites for the top honours.
Before striking the MGU-K issues which ended Lewis Hamilton’s race, both he and current championship leader Nico Rosberg were the cars to beat.
The Red Bull Ring in the Austrian hills boasts a small circuit at 4.3 kilometres. It is heavily undulated and has mostly high down-force corners, which starkly contrasts to the high speed/low down-force circuits of Monaco and Montreal.
With the relatively small layout, the drivers should expect to complete 71 laps on Sunday.
In terms of form, the Silver Arrows will be the cars to beat yet again. However with Red Bull’s strong performance in Montreal and general strength on high down force circuits, the home team will be in the hot seat to take out that final spot on the podium.
When looking at Ricciardo’s dominant form inside the Red Bull team at the moment, it would seem that he may have a better weekend than his four-time world championship-winning teammate Sebastian Vettel.
Both Ferrari and McLaren expect to have more upgrades for their cars in Austria, however their lack of overall down-force means McLaren should be expected to struggle for minor points come Sunday. Ferrari will have to throw whatever they have at their F14 T to avoid going through the race unnoticed once again.
Force India, Williams and Toro Rosso will all be in contention for points, as may Lotus if their package stays reliable through the weekend. It will be a tough start though for Sergio Perez, who was handed a five-place grid penalty for an altercation with Felipe Massa in the previous race which saw both drivers hospitalised.
A three-place grid penalty has also been handed to Max Chilton for this race after it was deemed that he was responsible for the crash with his Marussia teammate Jules Bianchi.
Unless Mercedes AMG hit problems again this weekend, there is no doubt that the top spots will be sealed by the duelling Hamilton and Rosberg. Red Bull at their home circuit will certainly be capable of a podium but with the way things unfolded in Montreal, anything could be on the cards.
Most importantly, it will be brilliant to see Formula One return to a classic circuit despite its modern rebranding.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
No worries, thanks for following too tonight. I look forward to your next live blog then. :)
Nicholas Belardo
Roar Guru
Cheers Jawad, thanks for the insights tonight, good read.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
With Silverstone being the next race on the calendar, will the championship take another twist, perhaps this time in Lewis Hamilton's favour? It will definitely be a race not to miss in two weeks time. Thanks though for tuning in tonight to this live blog and hopefully everyone enjoyed the race too.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Former Red Bull F1 driver Mark Webber will be conducting the podium interviews.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
The Wolff family will certainly be very happy after that result. Toto with his Mercedes' cars both on the podium and Susie with Williams claiming that third place.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
A grand result though, lets not forget for Valtteri Bottas. A highly rated driver who has been due this season for a podium finish, considering the strength Williams had in the pre-season. At the same time though, it would be slightly disappointing for Felipe Massa, losing positions after his first pit stop.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Your results then for the Austrian Grand Prix: Rosberg Hamilton Bottas Massa Alonso Perez Magnussen RIcciardo Hulkenberg Raikkonen Button Maldonado Sutil Grosjean Bianchi Kobayashi Chilton Ericsson Gutierrez Vergne - Retired Vettel - Retired Kvyat - Retired
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
But for the championship, Rosberg leads by 29 points over his teammate Hamilton. A good gesture though with both drivers giving each other a bit of congratulations in parc ferme.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
And Ricciardo right on the final lap was able to pass Hulkenberg for eighth position.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
And it'll be Nico Rosberg who brings it home to win the Austrian Grand Prix, with his teammate Lewis Hamilton in second place, only a second behind. Valtteri Bottas will finish third and achieves his first podium finish in Formula One.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Rosberg locks up, Hamilton closes in.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
FINAL LAP: This will be it then, Hamilton has DRS down the straight.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 68: With 4 laps to go and only 1.1 seconds between them, which of the Mercedes' will emerge in the lead? 25 points are at stake here and for Hamilton those points are crucial.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 66: A little lock up has allowed Perez to pass Magnussen for sixth place. Remember, Perez started from sixteenth on the grid and has gained a total of 10 places.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 64: Alonso is now coming into play to take fourth place off Massa. The gap is now 1.5 seconds, so you'd have to say that since his first pit stop, Massa has been on the decline after starting on pole position.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 62: Vergne with brake issues has also retired from the race. Both Toro Rossos are out of the race now and in terms of Red Bull backed cars, three of four cars have retired. Terrible then for the Red Bull organisation.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 59: Jules Bianchi passes the Caterham of Kamui Kobayashi for sixteenth place, whilst Button pits for a third time and is now outside of the points.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 58: 1.5 seconds is the difference between Rosberg and Hamilton at the front.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 57: Ricciardo now fighting with Hulkenberg over ninth place. The Aussie is currently 0.4 seconds behind the Force India.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 56: Perez comes in to pit for the final time this race with the super-soft tyres. He exits the pits ahead of his teammate Hulkenberg in eighth.