Sprint weekend that of Austria, which involves a in-depth evaluation of the pace race during FP2 to better prepare for the Sprint at 16pm, with the grid already decided in the yesterday's qualifications. The teams observe and observe each other to find the ideal solution regarding the tire to use in the 100 km of the mini-race. The limbo is between medium and soft, the latter seems to behave well on Austrian asphalt, but degradation could be around the cornerTherefore, tire risk will be a fundamental factor. Max Verstappen seems to have another step but Ferrari may have gone into hiding…
Verstappen the man to beat. Perez ready for the comeback
Max Verstappen he is the fastest man in the session in terms of race pace, while occupying third place in the time rankings. The RB18 confirms itself as the car to beat and the Dutchman is undoubtedly in splendid form. Ferrari will have to work overtime to not let the world champion escape from the first laps. Perez finishes sixth, and he will start thirteenth in the Sprint after times canceled due to track limits in Q2 and Q3. The Mexican is preparing for an eagerly awaited comeback.
Leclerc in attack mode against Verstappen
Sainz leads the time classification with Leclerc behind. The Spanish driver, fresh from victory, he says he is confident in establishing the front row, galvanized by the fact that he won't have to watch out, for once, from Perez's Red Bull... but watch out for Russell. The Monegasque, on the other hand, seems to have all the conditions for undermine the world championship leader, starting from an unusual position, the second, so he didn't say he was satisfied.
The team pays a few tenths with all the compounds against Red Bull, but the 066/7 power unit may have been kept in a more conservative mode. Does the little horse still have some cards to reveal to overwhelm the Dutchman?
Mercedes heals the wounds and continues the chase to the top
The star's mechanics had to work overtime after the accidents of Hamilton (ninth) e Russell (seventh) in yesterday's qualifying. The curfew was not broken but the price to pay was adelayed entry onto the track. Russell took to the track after just ten minutes, but Hamilton had to wait almost fifty. On the W13 of the seven-time world champion the chassis has been changed, while on both single-seaters it was replaced the gearbox.
Well Alpine. And the rest of the grid?
The French team surprises positively. Alonso is fourth while Or with fifth. Bottas takes theAlfa Romeo on his shoulders finishing eighth, while Norris seals the first half of the standings after completing a satisfying long run with red tyre. The mate Ricciardo he is only 17th. Gives some glow of light theAston Martin, Stroll comes close to the top 10 (11th) e Hag he finishes 13th. It's in the sandwich gasly. Zhou he is 14th with behind him Schumacher, Magnussen he is 18th, with the Haas in more difficulty, who are hunting for other fundamental points in the constructors' classification. Williams is 16th with Albon and last with Latifs. tsunoda it is penultimate.
Pirelli's indications
Mario Isola on Sky's microphones hypothesized one race to a stop, with the transition from medium to hard. The delta between the two compounds would be around 3 tenths. For the Sprint instead the red one promises well: degradation is low and graining is non-existent, it still remains a risky choice to adopt if you want to aim for full-attack mode.
