Post-race Analysis and Driver Ratings for the 2022 Austrian GP

Large gusts of winds, especially at the fast corners played a major role in defining the pace of all the drivers throughout the weekend, especially with the new regulation cars with the ground effect, being heavily dependent on aerodynamics. Cross-winds caught out the best of the best, as observed from both of the Mercedes crashing out during the qualifying on Friday. The FIA also kept a strict vigil on the track limits, which saw nearly all the drivers be warned or shown the black and white flag, with some even being penalized during the race.

Does Ferrari really have hopes on winning this year’s championship?

A super strategy by Ferrari did not stop their drivers from being haunted by reliability issues, with Sainz having to retire because his engine caught fire and Leclerc nearly missed his win in the end due to issues with his throttle pedal. Such incidents really bring up questions whether the eminent development on this year’s car has really not paid off for the team from Maranello.

“Even if they get their strategy right, something else goes wrong.”- David Croft on Sainz’s Engine fire incident

Sainz’s recent engine blowout at Austria counted as his 4th retirement in 12 races. Adding this to the throttle pedal issues Leclerc was facing in the final stages of his race raises serious concerns over Ferrari’s goals this season. We hope that the team resolves these issues for the next half of the season.

Upgrades Brought by the various Teams

In the past few race weekends, we have noticed the teams introduce radical new designs to improve their performance. However, at the RedBull Ring, only few teams brought minor upgrades to increase the downforce and improve engine and brake cooling. Alpine introduced a rear wing which was lowered near the mid-section, with high tips, with an idea to reduce vortices and therefore drag. This paid off pretty well for the French team, who were very strong and claimed double points (Ocon-P5 and Alonso-P10). They intend to carry this momentum forward for the upcoming races.

An Unsatisfactory Weekend for RedBull

Both RedBull drivers looked more or less consistent the whole weekend until the final race session on Sunday. At the start of the race, going into Turn 4, Russell and Perez were battling for P4, when the former upon defending knocked the latter into the gravel after the corner. Perez had left enough space but unfortunately Russell couldn’t avoid the collision. Perez sustained some damage which saw him lose a lot of pace, eventually leading him to retire from the race. This incident is an exact imitation of the one involving Hamilton and Albon in Austria 2020, with Albon who had been knocked off at that very corner. On the other side, Verstappen had begun facing difficulties with his tire management just a few laps into the race, and couldn’t keep Leclerc behind for very long. Ferrari dominated RedBull with a very robust tire strategy as well, which helped them claim the victory in the end. Verstappen who outpaced everyone the whole weekend had to settle for P2.

HAAS Drivers on a Strong Roll

Both HAAS drivers have been very ecstatic since the team’s first double points finish last week at Silverstone and Mick Schumacher’s first F1 points. They carried the similar enthusiasm in Austria as well, scoring double points again. Mick showed an extremely mature drive, and fought with experienced drivers like his teammate Kevin Magnussen and especially with 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton who was dumbfounded at his pace. The team has proved that they are no longer backmarkers, and can challenge the teams currently ahead of them for a better Championship position.

McLaren vs Alpine saga continues, Alfa Romeo falls behind

Both drivers of both McLaren and Alpine collectively scored 10 and 11 points on Sunday, and are currently on equal points eyeing for the 4th position in the Constructors Championship. McLaren’s Ricciardo finally scored points after a dismal weekend with the help of a good tire strategy from his team. Norris on the other hand did not seem very confident with his car, and could not unlock the whole potential of car in the race and often times went off the track. Alpine’s Ocon looked very strong and also very happy with his performance in the race, securing P5. Veteran driver Alonso had a few intense battles during the race, ultimately beating Bottas on the final lap for P10. Despite these shortcomings both of these teams performed really well and go neck-and-neck to the next race. Bottas expressed his worries over the lack of pace that caused a setback for his team with the hope that they recover soon.

The 5-car Battle

On lap 24, the pit window was open for the teams to choose between a 1-stop and a 2-stop strategy. As the driver order shuffled, we saw Alonso and Zhou battle for P9. Zhou placed his car pretty well in the corners and did not grant an opening to Alonso. Meanwhile, both the HAAS cars, and Norris having pit for fresher tires caught up to them to battle for the position. An intense racing played out among these 5 drivers who very meticulously did not collide into one another. BY the end of the next lap, Magnussen came out in front, followed by Norris, Alonso, Schumacher and Zhou respectively.

A Lucky Podium for Hamilton

After Sainz was ruled out of the race due to engine failure, both Mercedes drivers aimed for the final Podium spot. However, Russell was slapped with a 5-second time penalty for his Lap 1 incident with Perez and had to fall behind in P4. This stint by Mercedes sends a strong statement to their competitors that they are back to contend for the Championship. Much to their horror of both cars crashing out during Friday’s qualifying session, they had to rebuild the car, which ultimately secured them P3 and P4 respectively.

Track Limits were a Real Challenge

The tricky conditions, coupled with strong gusts no respite from the race directors gave drivers a hard time the entire weekend. The race directors were especially skeptical of the track limits at this circuit and deleted multiple lap times in every session. On Sunday alone 43 total violations were pointed out, with multiple warnings being issued, along with black and white flags. Some drivers like Lando Norris, Zhou Guanyu, Pierre Gasly and Sebastian Vettel were also handed 5-second time penalties which largely affected their race result. Few drivers, including Max Verstappen and Mick Schumacher voiced their opinion against the strong ruling, citing the ‘bad look’ of the sport. In comparison to the previous years, where specific instructions were given for few specific corners, this year’s regulation interpretation by the race directors has been quite brutal on the drivers and the teams.

Driver Rankings- 2022 Austrian GP

P1- Charles Leclerc

The young Ferrari prodigy has been looking to redeem himself since the past 7 races, whence he had to retire twice unfortunately. His drive in Austria was extraordinary, as he juiced the complete potential of his car, and was successful in beating Verstappen in every battle. He also skillfully tackled a last minute mechanical issue and was able to nurse his car to the chequered flag for the race win!

Rating: 9.5/10

P2- Max Verstappen

An unfortunate weekend for the Dutchman at his team’s home ground, as the tire degradation left him and his engineers perplexed. He was no doubt strong in all the previous session of the weekend, including winning the F1 Sprint. However, due to tire issues, he lost a lot of pace, and had to settle for P2.

Rating: 8/10

P3- Lewis Hamilton

The 7-time world champion seems to be in sync with his car since the Silverstone GP, and was able to claim back-to-back podiums. He had a very strong drive, and reminded his fans how he had won 7 championships in the first place. Mercedes seems to have improved their W13 several times over, since the start of the season, and look to be back into the championship battle.

Rating: 9/10

P4- George Russell

The rookie Mercedes driver had a great recovery drive after his shunt on the first lap with Sergio Perez, for which he was given a 5-second penalty. He was able to manage his tires well and got awarded with good points accordingly.

Rating: 8.5/10

P5- Esteban Ocon

I have said it once, I will say it a hundred times, “Ocon is a very underrated driver who has an immense amount of potential”. He had a very mature drive this weekend, and was one of the few drivers who were able to keep their cars on track for the entirety of the race. As noted by himself, based on the car’s performance, P5 was the best result he could obtain this weekend.

Rating: 8.5/10

P6- Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher is carrying a new found confidence, since his first F1 points scored last weekend at the British GP. At the start of the season, he was criticized for his many crashes, but he chose to shut them all with results. His on-track battles with the mid-field and frontrunner Lewis Hamilton was fun to exciting to watch. We hope that his form continues forward in the season.

Rating: 8/10

P7- Lando Norris

Norris looked particularly troubled for the entire weekend, especially with the track limits, with also got him a 5-second time penalty. This prevented him from scoring more points in the race, and this also breaks his streak of podiums at this circuit. He wasn’t able to generate all of the pace of his car, but managed to score good points after all.

Rating: 7.5/10

P8- Kevin Magnussen

The return of Magnussen has surely benefitted the HAAS team in the eyes of the fans, as he continues to shine with top form. Though he was admittedly slower than his teammate, his battles on the track were thrilling as he cleverly outmaneuvered his opponents to obtain a double points finish for his team.

Rating: 7.5/10

P9- Daniel Ricciardo

A competent tire strategy called by his race engineers helped secure a P9 finish for the team. Despite his dismal performance in the past few races and in this weekend as well, its nice to see the honey badger score some points.

Rating: 7/10

P10- Fernando Alonso

The Alpine driver has also been on a strong roll since Silverstone. His upgrades this weekend surely aided him in his race. But mid-race he wasn’t able to shrug off competitors and couldn’t outplay his younger counterparts. However, an intuitive tire strategy by his team led him to overtake Bottas on the final lap to gain P10.

Rating: 7/10