A scant 0.093 seconds (93 thousandths) separated Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in their sprint qualifying laps of the Austrian Grand Prixand the two of them go back out to the front row.
They were separated by less than two-tenths on their only laps in SQ3, the gap between them growing during the mid-corner phase, and the McLaren F1’s superior traction on corner exit could only close the gap rather than turn the tide.
Checking the GPS data, a similar pattern emerged to his final qualifying laps in Barcelona, although there Norris was unable to overtake Verstappen.
As in Spain, Verstappen arrived faster at the braking zone in Austria; the Red Bull Racing peaked between 3 and 5 km/h faster than Norris’s McLaren before decelerating. But Norris lost less speed under braking and, in the end, he went through the corner a little faster.
The McLaren’s tractive force also appears greater, allowing Norris to make up most of the time he had lost exiting corners. After Turn 1, Norris reduced his delta to 0.013s as he climbed the highest part of the Red Bull Ring, but the Red Bull’s higher top speed ensured that Verstappen overtook Norris about two-thirds of the way up the hill. .
At around 317 km/h, Norris began to run out of power, while Verstappen was able to keep the speedometer rising before stepping on the brake pedal. That continued on the next straight between turns 3 and 4; Norris recovered time halfway through the stretch at the top of the hill, but not all of it, and there began a series of micro-sectors that added to the return delta between the two drivers.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
That could be due to several factors: an earlier trim of Mercedes’ powertrain, a DRS effect Red Bull’s improved performance on the straights, or simply a matter of gear changes.
Similarly, the McLaren’s slightly higher speed in short-radius corners could be explained by the car having more downforce at low speeds, or by better adaptability than the Red Bull’s spring stiffness.
The gap opens up a little more in the second half of the lap, where the corners are a little more fluid and allow the Red Bull to shift towards its medium-high speed performance.
Again, the McLaren is generally better on corner exit, although Verstappen hits the accelerator harder into Turn 9 while Norris is slightly more hesitant. As for Oscar Piastri’s lap, the Australian is a little more committed in the penultimate corner than his teammate, although his line is not completely “square” either.
What that means for the rest of the weekend – or for the sprint raceat least – is that Verstappen can be expected to use the second and third sectors to distance himself from his rivals and break the one-second barrier necessary to use DRS. To do so, the championship leader must avoid the possibility of an overtake in the first corner by the two papaya cars.
If Norris or Piastri overtake the RB20 and they move into the lead, they will have to hope that their traction and astute use of energy can keep Verstappen at bay.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20
Otherwise, the Dutchman will benefit from his powerful DRS at the end of the straights, which will be vital to prepare an overtake at Turns 3 or 4.
With three DRS zones, that’s going to be a tough challenge, so the first lap on that stage will be key to any chance of McLaren winning. The main problem with the MCL38 At the Red Bull Ring, it is the handling at Turn 7, as Verstappen achieves more speed there.
Greater bravery on that particularly tricky turn should help McLaren, but in the end it depends on the driver’s confidence. If neither Norris nor Piastri feel capable enough to put their foot on the accelerator a little sooner, then it’s going to put Red Bull out of reach.
Once parc fermé opens again after the sprint race, McLaren could adjust its set-up to handle the higher speed sections of the track with a little more ease, with the hope that this does not compromise the higher minimum speed in the tighter corners.
Again, it depends on how the first round goes. If McLaren chooses a set-up that leans more towards the race, then it will give a bit more intrigue to the rest of the weekend. For the moment, however, Red Bull appears to have gotten off to a better start.
And with the RB20 often proving more stubborn in reaching its ideal set-up, Verstappen has further reason to be optimistic ahead of Saturday’s action.
