2024 Austrian Grand Prix: What to Expect As Formula 1 Arrives at the Red Bull Ring

• The Formula 1 season continues with a visit to the iconic Red Bull Ring circuit in Austria for round 11 of the 2024 season.
• In recent seasons, the Austrian Grand Prix has treated spectators to some of the finest wheel-to-wheel racing moments.
• Sports Brief shifts the spotlight to key things to expect as Formula 1 continues its European triple-header at Spielberg.

The Red Bull Ring is expected to light up this weekend as the 2024 edition of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix takes centre stage.

The Spielberg event marks the second race of the European season triple header, following the Spanish Grand Prix and ahead of the British Grand Prix.

Judging by the recent convergence witnessed throughout the 2024 Formula 1 season, everything but an outrageous dominance of Red Bull is expected in their home race.

The Milton Keynes team has so far not had the dream 2024 season they hoped for, unlike their experience in 2023. The limited wind tunnel time they have been allotted has done little to salvage the situation.

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The McLarens and Mercedes have been relatively quick since the Miami Grand Prix, which undoubtedly poses extra worry for Red Bull Racing.

The underlying issue of the Milton Keynes team struggling with setup ahead of the recent Grand Prix and Sergio Perez's recent form also add to the woes the Austrian team faces and the overall dynamism of the Grand Prix weekend.

In light of this, Sports Brief shines the spotlight on a few things to expect at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

Key things to expect at the Austrian Grand Prix

Potential Red Bull struggle

In recent races, the Austrian team has struggled with the setup of the RB20 car, which has often cost them valuable points in the constructors’ championship, despite the immense racing ability of Max Verstappen.

The Milton Keynes team often needs all three free practice sessions and a few tweaks during qualifying to secure a fair enough position ahead of the Sunday Grand Prix.

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However, at this weekend’s Austrian race, the Red Bull team will not have the luxury of three free practice sessions to get their car into a working window, given the Sprint race alongside the main Grand Prix this weekend.

The team’s Head of Driver Development Programme, Helmut Marko, recently admitted, as reported by Speedweek.com, that getting the car's setup right might prove challenging for them this weekend.

Faster Mercedes W15

The German constructor seems to be steadily advancing up the field following recent upgrades to the W15 car. The Brackley team faced significant challenges in the early stages of the 2024 season. However, the recent improvements to their car appear to be paying off, as evidenced by consecutive podium finishes in the last two races in Canada and Spain.

According to data from Formu1a.uno, Mercedes has recovered half a second on Red Bull since the start of the season. This gap is expected to narrow even further at the Austrian race, pending Red Bull’s introduction of their first significant upgrade to the RB20 car.

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Scuderria Ferrari’s resurgence

The Austrian Grand Prix presents Ferrari with an opportunity to rebound from their disappointing performance at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Despite significant upgrades to the SF-24 car, the Maranello team failed to mount a serious challenge to their rivals at the front of the grid.

According to Formula1a.uno, the upgrades to the SF-24 car seem to align with simulator data, but the increased downforce led to handling issues at the Spanish Grand Prix.

It is anticipated that Ferrari will address these issues, allowing the true pace of the Prancing Horse to be unleashed at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Austrian Grand Prix preview and prediction

Sports Brief in a previous report provided a comprehensive preview of the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

The Spielberg race marks the second event in the European leg triple-header, following the Spanish GP.