Teams are at the home of the four-time World Championship winning team: Red Bull. The Austrian Grand Prix has been unpredictable so far this weekend, with rain impacting the track conditions on both days. Lewis Hamilton is on pole, but can anyone challenge him for the victory?
The Red Bull Ring is an old track that was revived in 2014 and has been dominated by Nico Rosberg ever since. This year, a few minor modifications to the kerbs were made, but the majority of the circuit has remained the same. It’s a high speed circuit, with half of the lap driven using full throttle. The circuit contains four high-speed, long straights and only eight corners, meaning it is a little less complex compared to other circuits on the calendar. Turns four through six is the only technical section at the Red Bull Ring. Elevation plays a big factor at the circuit, as there are rapid changes in track height in various areas.
Lewis Hamilton has a pretty safe victory in Austria, as he starts on pole position with very little competition nearby. Nico Rosberg qualified to start alongside Hamilton on the grid, but he has been given a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change following his accident during the final free practice session. Sebastian Vettel, the other driver that can challenge the Mercedes car for the victory, has also been given a penalty for a gearbox change after the action on Friday. This leaves Hamilton virtually by himself at the front, meaning that he should come home with a comfortable victory.
Of course, you can’t count out Rosberg and Vettel entirely this weekend, despite their grid place penalties. Both Mercedes and Ferrari are on a level of their own, so that should have no issue overtaking the cars that separate them from the front. Kimi Räikkönen is the only driver that could provide some challenge to the leaders.
In a strange turn of events, Jenson Button finds himself in the second row of the grid for the race, which is unusual, given the inferior performance that McLaren-Honda has witnessed over the past two seasons of racing. The performance of the car still isn’t where it needs to be in order to compete with the front runners, so he shouldn’t remain in the top five for very long. Nico Hülkenberg also finds himself quite high up on the grid. However, the Force India car may have the pace required in order to maintain the position in the top five.
There is still one big factor that may influence the results of the race tomorrow: rain. The weather has been very unpredictable over the course of the weekend and has brought quite a few difficulties during the sessions. If the rain chooses to make an appearance during the race, things could get chaotic and interesting.
