Max Verstappen remains the man to beat. The world champion faces strong competition in Austria. McLaren in particular is putting pressure on him.
After his hard-fought sprint victory, Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is expecting strong competition at the Austrian Grand Prix. “It’s not a guaranteed victory for us,” said the Red Bull star before the main race on Sunday (3 p.m./Sky) in Spielberg. Although the 26-year-old from the Netherlands is once again the big favorite after four triumphs in Styria in recent years and first place on the grid, the strengthened McLaren in particular is causing the industry leader some concern.
On Saturday, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris gave Verstappen a tough race, but Verstappen still won and extended his lead in the World Championship to 70 points. Briton Norris is the closest pursuer, but the 24-year-old is in poor health. “I’m not sleeping so well. But it’s nothing that affects my performance on the track,” said Norris, who spoke in a noticeably hoarse voice during the media rounds on Saturday.
Norris’ challenge
“We will give them a fight tomorrow,” Norris promised Red Bull. Verstappen also predicted: “It will certainly be exciting. It is very close and will be a tight fight.”
In qualifying on Saturday afternoon, however, the gaps were larger than in the sprint, but Norris still has a good chance of winning from second place. Piastri lost his third starting position due to a driving error and was only classified seventh because he drove illegally outside the lane markings. His fastest lap time was deleted.
Source: Stern
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