A Grand Prix like this is worthy of a chivalric novel. And we had already understood it on Saturday with the Sprint, no holds barred. Of the 34 points up for grabs over the weekend in Austria, "at their home", Charles Leclerc he got 32. A loot that puts him back alongside Max Verstappen again in the standings Consulting, 38 points away. The victory comes after a difficult period for the Monegasque forced to impose his leadership even with the team that wants to leave all options on the table. But if on one side of the box we rejoice, on the other we bring home the signs of disappointment. Is Red Bull and Ferrari in fact they count as a DNF. Above all, Sainz's, however, weighs more because he would almost certainly have brought a double to Maranello. But the attention in this Grand Prix was not only attracted by the leaders of the group. Indeed, there is who inflamed the fight despite having questionable means at their disposal. In particular, the stars - "and stripes" - of this Grand Prix were the two single-seaters Haas, again in the points with both cars and an amazing one Mick Schumacher and P6. Let's see how our drivers fared at Fanta F1!
The Tops in Austria
Charles Leclerc: TOP
It was 2003 when the Italian anthem sounded for the last time in Austria, with Michael Schumacher's victory. At the time, a very young Charles Leclerc had not even made his karting debut. Today the Monegasque returns to the top step of the podium, bringing Ferrari's past and future history to the finish line. He does it on Red Bull's home track, with a crowd that has the same impact as a devastating tide. “At their house” arrived for the second week in a row for Ferrari who also dominated at Silverstone with the victory of Sainz.
In the final laps Charles had to sweat, as always because easy victories almost never come to him. But this boy's determination and crystalline talent elevated him to the top step of the podium. Very high, considering the others he climbed on. A step that takes him even closer to the sky, ready to compete with the Olympus of the gods. He and Max are definitely in a league of their own and they demonstrated it again today with beautiful battles and a strength that goes beyond their means. Both take home a nice loot at Fanta F1 this weekend.
Mick Schumacher: TOP
Here comes an encore for Mick Schumacher who in Austria entertained us like few others, with his overtaking which led him to finish in P6. A race fought at full speed, which combined with the one at Silverstone seems to have definitively dispelled all the doubts we had left about the true value of this boy who continues to grow. Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Alpine, Haas, McLaren. In Austria the American team led the pack in the middle. A hostile presence with a two-pronged attack of which Mick has become the standard bearer. Just yesterday Mick had complained about not having had DRS from his partner, showing that "bad boy" character, with a look worthy of his father. He took off that sulk today in the race, with a feat that almost promoted him to "Sky driver of the day" and which gave many points to Fanta F1.
Lewis Hamilton: TOP
Yet another podium for Lewis who, despite having complained about the track limits being too severe, he put on a great show, coming back to life after the bad accident on Friday. The Mercedes he is constantly in the top 3 in terms of power on the field, even if compared to Silverstone the gap with those in front was significantly higher, a symptom of a track that is not so congenial to the W13. But when someone is missing up front, the important thing is to be there, and both Lewis and George are there. They have also never had any reliability problems yet, which makes them truly consistent. Something fundamental for the fate of Fantamanagers at Fanta F1.
Flops in Austria
Sergio Perez: FLOP
Bad weekend for the Mexican from Red Bull who had made up for the penalty obtained on Friday with an excellent comeback in the Sprint. Having started 5th, he found himself face to face with another tough nut to crack, George Russell, who in a tight duel throws him out and takes a 5 second penalty. Bound to the back of the grid after a forced pit stop, the situation for Perez does not seem to be improving, probably due to a problem with the floor, damaged during the gravel excursion. So the team decides after several lapped laps to bring him back for the official retirement.
Pierre Gasly: FLOP
If there is a penalty to be taken you can be sure that one of the two AlphaTauris will take it. In this race it was he who ended up in the commissioners' sights several times Pierre Gasley. The first time for breaking as well as Norris, Zhou, Vettel i runway limits. A risk that affected all the drivers, who reached the limit of warnings. The second penalty for Pierre comes for a contact with Vettel, sent into the gravel by the Frenchman. More or less the same dynamic we saw with Russell and Perez on the first lap. But no one knows for what obscure unwritten rule this second penalty was not waived by the Faenza team who sent Pierre back onto the track without making him serve the canonical 5 seconds. Pierre also gets lectures from Vettel who pronounces himself with a "What's wrong with these people?.” We ask ourselves that too Seb.
Carlos Sainz: FLOP
Problems, problems problems. This word has become a nightmare. A bolt of lightning pierces the sky. This time, in the crux of reliability he fell Carlos Sainz, who without that PU problem would have accompanied his teammate towards an almost certain double. Just when the Spaniard had approached Max to attack, his engine and his hopes went up in smoke, from which Carlos fortunately managed to escape. Many points lost for Sainz who, with his engine to waste, will undoubtedly have to serve a penalty in France.
Sebastian Vettel: FLOP
From bad to worse also for Vettel, another victim of track limits. A difficult weekend, which ended with a dramatic excursion to the track. The team doesn't give him a hand but the opponents could also give him some respite instead of shooting at the red cross.
