Both Ferraris started on yellow-striped Pirellis. Set Of Medium new ones saved in the previous sessions. Usual procedures during the formation lap, useful for presenting yourself on the starting grid with the most suitable temperatures. Sainz makes a line start while Leclerc he got tangled up between Perez and Piastri and came into contact with the front wing. The damage is too great to continue and for this reason the Monegasque is forced to replace it. When he gets back on track with the tires Hard is in nineteenth position. While in Sainz closely follows the struggle between Mercedes.
The Spaniard is immediately forced to manage the operating temperatures but after 3 laps his pace seems good. It is so good that he launches an attack on Hamiltonsurpasses him and starts hunting for gods Russell. In the meantime Leclerc is turning in “free air“. His pace is very good, like the leaders. Drafts he suggests that he push without exaggerating on turn 9, where doing so punctually would mean reducing the useful life of the tyre. Lewis he is a seven-time world champion. This is why he doesn’t give up on overtaking Carlos and tries to make up for it. The Spanish player, however, seems to be able to defend himself quite well, even if, unlike the British player, he cannot use the DRS.
The engineers of the red team compliment the “two Carlos”. They do this regarding the administration of the car. Carlos it seems to be on the “Plan A“, while at Leclerc he is asked what he thinks of strategy “C”, probably linked to extending the stint. Leclerc he doesn’t know exactly what to do and simply claims that the set of tires Hard that he is using is not very good. The Monegasque’s prediction is not so wrong as, two laps later, the number 16 is overtaken by Alexander Albon. The Briton of Thai origin had a newer compound, yes, but still it’s still a Williams.
Confirmation that the compounds circled in white are not that great comes quickly, as Leclerc asks for and obtains a further stop box to mount them again Medium, always new. He returns to the track last, behind Sargeant surpassing it in one lap. Carlos continues to grind out the miles. He does so by complaining about various factors including his attitude “front limited” of her SF-24. Adami he takes note of it without any particular drama, invites him to push and maintains that his pace is good. On lap 22 Lewis makes its first stop. Ferrari he doesn’t react immediately, he studies the situation and then leans towards stopping one step later.
Changing tires is very quick. We’re talking about him too Hardhoping that they don’t last as long as those of Charles. Back on track the Iberian maintains his position on the next Ferrari driver. Nothing changes, in short. Furthermore, the Englishman is given a 5 second penalty for inadequate speed pit-lane. With medium tires Leclerc it shows an undoubtedly better and decidedly more continuous rhythm. He no longer complains about poor performance. Unfortunately, his race is severely compromised but for the moment he isn’t giving up. We are in a stalemate phase of the race.
Sainz it is under total management. Adami asks him to monitor his dashboard on the steering wheel, to know how to manage various situations including petrol. For this reason he is asked for lift and coast especially in the first sector. A measure that is then extended for another 50 meters in the subsequent laps. Charles is giving it his all in eighteenth position. Drafts asks to be careful of micro locks that could compromise the tires. According to the projections of the pit wall, the possibility of getting points exists. Nevertheless, he is asked not to exaggerate too much in the traction of turn 1.
Stop again for Leclerc. We move on to another set Of Medium without any adjustments to the load that can be developed at the front. Monegasque who has already made 3 stops against the only one of all the other opponents. Charles is going so fast that, in front of him, Norris who lapped him sees the outline of the Italian car in his mirrors. The tyres by Sainz they’re still fine, apparently, after 15 passes on the rump. For this reason he is allowed to push a little more at 7. Russell ahead of him has a lead of 4 seconds, while Hamilton behind him he pays a gap of about three and a half seconds to which another 5 must be added for the penalty.
Leclerc he complains about the situation in front of him. Lando does not have a better pace than her, on the contrary the number 16 is slowed down by the McLaren. However although he could attempt the attack he would not have the pace to outrun him as the British would then have the DRS. A strange situation. Bozzi he lets him know that the wall is happy with this, as the pace is good and I can conserve the tyres. We add one fact, however: staying in the wake of the MCL38 it certainly does not help to manage degradation and temperatures and moreover it wastes time. The Monegasque asks for clarification on the possible final position considering this unexpected problem.
Bryan he takes his time and three laps later gives the Ferrari driver the chance to pass Lando. Let’s see what happens. In the meantime Sainz he continues his march with the tires which are little by little losing performance. Shortly after, Norris passes and in turn passes him again at the next bend. A truly absurd situation, as both are losing lap time. Charles still doesn’t understand and makes it very clear on the radio: “if I overtake him he makes me in favor. We’re stuck, there’s nothing else we can do and obviously it doesn’t seem right to me“
At passage 47 Carlos is called back to the pits. However, the radio communication arrives late and the Spaniard is forced to “paint” the next lap. For number 55, here is another set of Medium to get to the bottom of it. Sainz returns to the asphalt in sixth position always behind Russell which in the meantime has moved on to Hard. The nervousness of Charles It becomes apparent when driving, when he narrowly misses the car in the T2. The Ferrari driver remains in the exhausts of Norris e Draftsto reassure him, tells him to wait a little longer and then figure out what to do.
The absurd thing is that Gasly behind him he doesn’t care, attacks him and passes him. Leclerc he is therefore called again to the box inexplicably. Most likely, getting out of this situation would have made things a little easier. Drafts lets him know he’ll be close by Hamilton as if it were important. Then he talks about Botched which instead will be able to compete for place number 17. It would be interesting to understand what type of futuristic vision the remote garage of the red, because the points zone seems very far away. We can say that the Monegasque is certainly not losing hope. In three passes he paints Botched e Tsunoda to then go and get it Albon.
F1, Ferrari: unexpected podium for Sainz in Spielberg
In the carousel of pit-stop Carlos he is now in fourth position. There are 17 rounds left to go and the Spaniard will have to defend himself from the return of Oscar Piastriwith the same medium tire but with 5 less laps on the back. Sainz seems to be on the ball in this final phase of the match as he is catching up Russell now at about 3 seconds. His goal is not at all simple also considering that he has to watch his back from the McLaren which is now in his wake. Leclerc also strips away the English of Williamsnext station: Lance Stroll for thirteenth place.
When you least expect it comes the twist: Verstappen e Norris they come into contact. Lando was forced to retire due to damage to the floor and front wing, while Max the left rear punctures due to the close encounter in turn 2. The Dutchman makes the stop and returns to the race in fifth position behind Hamilton. In the meantime Plates it’s too fast and passes Sainz who at this point is third on the podium. Leclerc manages to overtake Stroll e Ocon until the race ends in eleventh place. Without the contact at the start the race could undoubtedly have offered greater satisfaction. Side note: the Austrian anthem will not be played today…
Author: Alessandro Arcari – @berrageiz
Images: Scuderia Ferrari – F1Tv
