- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Show Preview
Following on from that thrilling affair at Silverstone which saw Carlos Sainz win his maiden Formula One race, a return to the Red Bull Ring also sees the return of the Sprint Qualifying format in 2022. Join us here at The Roar for live blog updates and coverage of the Austrian Grand Prix from 10:50pm AEST.
The short, sharp and fast 4.3km circuit has been a hit since re-joining the calendar in 2014 and since has been a mainstay. Particularly given Red Bull’s ownership of the track and their own success at the venue.
Championship leader Max Verstappen has won four of the last six races in Spielberg, including those double headers hosted as the Styrian Grand Prix over the past two seasons and comes into this 71-lap race as the favourite again.
Claiming the top spot in the Sprint, the reigning world champion heads up both Ferraris which were led by Charles Leclerc ahead of teammate Sainz. Both the Prancing Horses were caught squabbling each other across the 100km – allowing Verstappen to skip ahead.
Ferrari’s race pace through the practice sessions offered something for the Scuderia to be encouraged about, though Verstappen has not been shy to put in a phenomenal performance or two.
Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez also recovered to fifth, following his demotion to thirteenth prior to the Sprint. With both Red Bull cars in the top five, the team can counter any strategic threat from Ferrari during the race.
George Russell will be looking to rebound from his first-lap disappointment at Silverstone, qualifying behind the Ferraris and very well in the mix also. Mercedes have had a difficult weekend in the build-up, following both cars crashing out in Friday’s qualifying but he and Lewis Hamilton will start inside the top eight.
Both Haas cars will start inside the top ten too, holding on in the Sprint and having the opportunity to score points in consecutive races. A disappointed Mick Schumacher was unhappy to drop to ninth behind Hamilton, but at least has the chance for more points in the race.
A grid penalty for Valtteri Bottas as well will promote Lando Norris into the top ten, after McLaren’s difficult weekend. The Sprint however saw both the Briton and the embattled Daniel Ricciardo rise up from the bottom of the grid to a respective tenth and eleventh.
Two-stops will likely be the winning strategy around this 10-corner track, with the medium and hard tyres the preferred compounds.
Race Information
Lights out: 11pm (AEST)
Venue: Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
TV: Fox Sports
Online: Kayo Sports, Foxtel
Grid
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), 4. George Russell (Mercedes), 5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull), 6. Esteban Ocon (Alpine), 7. Kevin Magnussen (Haas), 8. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 9. Mick Schumacher (Haas), 10. Lando Norris (McLaren), 11. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren), 12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), 13. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo), 14. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), 15. Alexander Albon (Williams), 16. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), 17. Nicholas Latifi (Williams), 18. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), 19. Fernando Alonso (Alpine), 20. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Hide Preview
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.