Picture Credit: Formula 1
There was no roar of the bulls here at the Styrian hills, something that many would’ve expected especially with championship leader Verstappen locking the front row for the Horner-led outfit on Saturday.
As Ferrari delivered a red letter day at the Austrian GP thanks to Charles Leclerc claiming a memorable win, the world championship has perhaps become a closely-contested battle once again.
In doing so, the Scuderia stable have clearly hit back at their arch rivals Red Bull this season and claimed what is now their fourth win of 2022 and their second given Sainz’ brilliant triumph at Silverstone, which occurred just a week ago.
But which moments from the mega 2022 Austrian GP became the talking points of the race?
George Russell’s mega race
For a driver who began his Austrian GP drive from fourth on the grid and ended on P4, Spielberg didn’t turn out to be a disappointment for George Russell at all.
From a Mercedes standpoint, it was certainly Lewis Hamilton’s effort that stood out. The all-time great earned yet another career podium.
But George Russell achieved yet another top five finish this season, his tenth in eleven races, to be precise, which must be hailed.
Moreover, it just goes to show his remarkable point scoring spree despite not having the fastest machine on the grid this season.
But you do truly understand the might of young English driver when you recollect that by lap 20, Russell was down in seventeenth, having suffered as a result of coming to blows with Sergio Perez in the opening lap of the Austrian race.
Hence, the fourth place finish in the end is truly an effort to savor.
Hamilton’s brilliant drive yields another podium
Lewis Hamilton will always have legions of fans who’ll hail his determination and never say die attitude to Grand Prix racing. It’s something that stokes him. It’s something that pushes him to achieve more than what he perhaps sets out to achieve.
But so far, the drivers forming the talking points this season have been Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc; Hamilton not so much.
The problems in his 2022 Mercedes machine coupled with a lack of significant pace on main straights have only compounded the issues for the seven time world champion.
But what’s dazzling about Hamilton, a winner of 103 Formula 1 races, is that despite having his share of issues, the Briton has managed podium finishes this year.
And while there’ll be many who’ll talk plenty - as they should- about Verstappen’s dominance and Leclerc’s form this year, truth is, Hamilton’s recent efforts are just as deserving of our attention.
Charles versus Max fight
Throughout this season, we’ve been fortunate to see two great drivers- one a world champion and another, a possible title winner in the making- having a go at each other.
And it’s at the back of Verstappen and Leclerc’s bold wheel-to-wheel fighting that the ongoing season has turned out to be such a closely followed Red Bull against Ferrari year.
In that regard, Austria, much like the races at Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, produced yet another sweltering instance of Leclerc and Verstappen battling each other.
There were three different instances where Leclerc and Verstappen were involved in a close tussle for track position at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.
On lap 11, when the Ferrari driver was in second but breathing on Verstappen’s tail, fans witnessed perhaps one of the most enthralling moments of the race. The Monegasque dived into the inside of the Red Bull driver in the approach to a sharp right hander to force his way up into the lead. He’d be flying soon after.
Later, on lap 33, Leclerc zipped past the unassuming Red Bull of Verstappen, his numero uno challenger this season in executing another bold and supreme move finding arguably more traction than the Dutchman ever did.
Finally, another glorious moment of the contest arrived on lap 53 with just eighteen left as Leclerc attacked the Red Bull yet again to claw back into the race lead.
And while Verstappen did force the Ferrari driver a touch wide on the outside in an evasive action, there was little that the Red Bull could do to contain the daunting S F1-75.
Leclerc would be through to the lead and successes in taking the bull by its horns as they say.
Unlucky Sainz
Carlos Sainz entered the 2022 Austrian GP from second on the grid. That was at the back of his maiden career win at Silverstone, which was just a week ago.
Even in the practice session prior to the start of the sprint race, he dominated the time charts. He was giving Leclerc a hard time as seen in the sprint.
But the Austrian Grand Prix didn’t turn out to anything worth remembering for the determined Spanish driver.
On lap 58 of the race with just thirteen left to play, Sainz suffered a terrifying moment as his car caught fire stemming from a grave engine problem.
Moreover, the machine appeared to be moving downhill in that part of the track where there was a certain elevation. Fortunately, Sainz jumped out just in time and resultantly, registered a DNF.
Not the end that he would have hoped for.
Schumacher’s brilliant effort
It was just a week ago that Mick Schumacher scored his maiden points in Formula 1. His brave P8 at England meant he’d bagged four vital points and was finally underway in Formula 1, where scoring points was concerned.
To those who’d have undermined that mega moment in the career of the German as being nothing more than some flash-in-the-pan occurrence, Mick just proved his naysayers wrong.
He went even better at Austria in comparison to his position at Great Britain; his P6 at Spielberg has earned the much-talked-about Haas driver eight valuable points.