The 2024 Formula 1 season remained in Europe with its third Sprint weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg. And with recent thrilling races and Red Bull’s initial advantage diminishing as the competition from other teams ramped up, the weekend promised another close fight for the win.
Race Guide
Race weekend: 28 June 2024 – 30 June 2024
Race date: Sunday, 30 June, 2024
Race start time: 15:00 local time
Circuit: Red Bull Ring
Laps: 71
Circuit length: 4.318km
2023 winner: Max Verstappen
While the Red Bull Ring is celebrated for its racing, a major discussion point from last year’s race was the numerous track limits penalties issued, altering the race results hours after the chequered flag had been waved. This delay was due to race control having to review over 1200 incidents of drivers exceeding track limits, making it impractical to address each one during the race itself.
To prevent a recurrence, the FIA and the circuit introduced new measures, including installing gravel traps at the outside of Turns 9 and 10 and positioning gravel closer to the exit of Turn 4. These adjustments aimed to discourage drivers from exceeding track limits while maintaining competitive fairness. Additionally, AI technology was introduced to monitor compliance with track limits, featuring a blue line at the exit of specific corners. The system, designed to flag potential infractions automatically, facilitating faster decision-making with the goal of resolving incidents in real-time and reducing the need for post-race adjustments. Despite these changes, the track’s layout remained unchanged, preserving its character but still posing challenges that may catch drivers off guard.
Weekend schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 28 June 2024 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm local time |
| 28 June 2024 | Sprint Qualifying | 4:30 pm – 5:14 pm local time |
| 29 June 2024 | Sprint Race | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm local time |
| 29 June 2024 | Qualifying | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm local time |
| 30 June 2024 | Race | 3:00 pm local time |
In Friday’s FP1 session, Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in the only practice session of the weekend despite causing a red flag. The championship leader stopped on track midway through the session due to a sensor issue with his engine but managed to roll back down the main straight and was pushed to the garage. Minutes later, Verstappen returned to the track and set the fastest time, finishing 0.276 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Later on Friday, during Sprint Qualifying, Max Verstappen fended off a late charge from Lando Norris to secure pole. McLaren once again took the fight to Max Verstappen, with Lando Norris narrowly missing out in the battle for the Sprint pole. Oscar Piastri, Lando’s teammate, came home for third.
In Saturday’s Sprint, Max Verstappen, starting from pole position, clinched victory, outdueling Oscar Piastri (2nd) and Lando Norris (3rd) for McLaren in thrilling wheel-to-wheel combat, ultimately finishing ahead of the pair. The result was Verstappen’s 10th Sprint win, an amazing stat considering the short-form race format had only been introduced in 2021.
In Saturday afternoon qualifying, Max Verstappen secured his 40th F1 pole position after beating Lando Norris to P1 for the Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen, who won in the Sprint earlier on Saturday, had displayed exceptional form throughout the weekend, clinching pole by a margin of four-tenths ahead of Norris on the shortest track in terms of lap time on the calendar. Oscar Piastri initially set the third-fastest time in qualifying but had his lap deleted due to exceeding track limits at Turn Six. As a result, George Russell was promoted to third place, followed by Carlos Sainz in fourth.
On Sunday, George Russell seized a surprising win at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris clashed in a contentious battle for the lead during the race’s final laps. With eight laps remaining at the Red Bull Ring, Verstappen and Norris collided while fighting for the lead. The stewards found Verstappen at fault and imposed a 10-second penalty, while Norris was forced to retire. This allowed Russell to capitalise and secure Mercedes’ first win since November 2022. Oscar Piastri for McLaren came home in second, with Carlos Sainz for Ferrari in third.
Championship background
Max Verstappen boasted an impressive record at Red Bull’s home circuit, having secured five wins prior to the ’24 race in Spielberg, while Lando Norris had also shown strong performances in Austria during previous seasons, earning his first F1 podium there in 2020.
Lewis Hamilton recently notched up his season’s first podium in Spain, signalling a resurgence for Mercedes as they rejoin the front of the grid, closely followed by Ferrari.
With the Red Bull Ring being the circuit with the shortest lap time on the calendar, the margins for error are extremely narrow, especially during a Sprint weekend. The revised 2024 Sprint format reducing teams and drivers to a single 60-minute practice session (FP1) before the action heats up with Sprint Qualifying on Friday evening.
In the revised format, this means that Saturday starts with the 100-kilometre Sprint race, followed by the full Qualifying session in preparation for Sunday’s main event, the Austrian Grand Prix.
The weekend also saw wet weather predicted, potentially adding to the excitement and unpredictability of the races.
Before the last race in Spain, attention was on Red Bull’s performance, with expectations they would field the quickest car. However, there were doubts about whether they could maintain their early-season dominance.
A week later, the scenario shifted dramatically. Max Verstappen clinched another victory, yet it was Lando Norris who shone brightest over the race distance. Despite starting from pole, Norris dropped to third early on and struggled to overtake George Russell during the first stint. His pace remained notably strong, though, and McLaren believed that minor details were the only thing preventing a victory.
McLaren in 2024 had been consistently at the front, either winning or finishing second in the last six races, and their car on par with, if not faster than, the Red Bull in most of the past five events in ’24.
While Red Bull’s strategic execution might still make them favourites for the upcoming race at their home track, the venue marked the start of McLaren’s resurgence in 2023, and with Norris having historically performed well there, it made the upcoming race hard to predict.
Race entries
Unlike in round nine in Barcelona, when Oliver Bearman stepped in for Nico Hulkenberg in FP1 for Haas, no reserve or test drivers stepped in during free practice in round ten.
That meant every driver from the start of the season appeared in FP1, Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint Race, Qualifying, and the Race.
Tyre choices
Pirelli, Formula 1’s official tyre supplier, opted for their three softest dry tyre compounds: C3 as the hard (white), C4 as the medium (yellow), and C5 as the soft (red). This choice was chosen for a circuit that boasts the fewest corners (10) and the shortest lap time on the F1 calendar.
Due to the Sprint weekend format, the usual allocation of 13 sets of tyres per driver was reduced to 12. Drivers would have access to two sets of the hard tyres (marked white), four sets of the mediums (marked yellow), and six sets of the softs (marked red). The allocation for wet weather tyres remained unchanged, with five sets of intermediates and two sets of full wets.
Pirelli also noted that in the last two editions of this race, a two-stop strategy using medium and hard tyres was the fastest. Interestingly, in the previous season’s Grand Prix in 2023, no driver chose to use the soft compound during the race.
FIND OUT MORE
Free Practice
In Friday’s practice session, FP1, the only free practice session of the weekend, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen topped the timesheets. Despite a mid-session issue that saw him stop on track, Verstappen led the way from McLaren rival Oscar Piastri and the two Ferraris, setting the fastest time of 1m 05.685s.
Full Free Practice Reports
Free Practice 1 Classification
FP1 was held on 28 June 2024, at 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm local time.
Sprint Qualifying
Max Verstappen narrowly edged out Lando Norris to secure pole position for Saturday morning’s Sprint race at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, as the top two drivers of the 2024 season continued their battle for F1 dominance.
Verstappen led all three segments of Sprint Qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, with Mercedes’ George Russell close behind in the first two segments. However, it was Norris who posed the biggest challenge in the crucial SQ3 session. Ultimately, Verstappen clinched the top spot with his final lap time of 1:04.686, beating Norris by just 0.093 seconds.
Full Qualifying Report
Sprint Qualifying Classification
Sprint Qualifying was held on 28 June 2024, at 4:30 pm – 5:14 pm local time.
Sprint Race
Max Verstappen faced a strong challenge from the McLarens early on but ultimately secured victory in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint for Red Bull.
Starting from pole position, Verstappen led initially but came under significant pressure from Lando Norris, who boldly took the lead at the beginning of lap five into uphill Turn Three. However, Norris couldn’t maintain his position and was swiftly passed first by Verstappen and then by his teammate Oscar Piastri due to losing momentum out of the turn.
Piastri managed to hold onto second place ahead of Norris for the remainder of the 23-lap race. Verstappen, meanwhile, gradually pulled away from DRS range and comfortably crossed the finish line with a 4.6-second advantage.
Full Qualifying Report
Sprint Race Classification
Sprint Race was held on 29 June 2024, at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 23 | 26:41.389 | 8 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 23 | +4.616s | 7 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 23 | +5.348s | 6 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 23 | +8.354s | 5 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 23 | +9.989s | 4 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 23 | +11.207s | 3 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 23 | +13.424s | 2 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 23 | +17.409s | 1 |
| 9 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 23 | +24.067s | 0 |
| 10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 23 | +30.175s | 0 |
| 11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 23 | +30.839s | 0 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 23 | +31.308s | 0 |
| 13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 23 | +35.452s | 0 |
| 14 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 23 | +39.397s | 0 |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 23 | +43.155s | 0 |
| 16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 23 | +44.076s | 0 |
| 17 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 23 | +44.673s | 0 |
| 18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 23 | +46.511s | 0 |
| 19 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg1 | Haas Ferrari | 23 | +48.423s | 0 |
| 20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 23 | +53.143s | 0 |
Qualifying
Max Verstappen clinched his 40th Formula 1 pole position for the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix following a dominant display in Saturday’s qualifying session, outpacing his nearest rival, Lando Norris, by four-tenths of a second.
Verstappen set a blistering pace early in Q3, improving on his second attempt to record a lap of 1m 04.314s in his Red Bull, setting a new track record. Norris secured second place for McLaren, trailing Verstappen by 0.404s, while George Russell placed his Mercedes third on the grid.
Full Qualifying Report
Qualifying Classification
Qualifying was held on 29 June 2024, at 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm local time.
What happened in the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix?
After a busy Saturday at the Red Bull Ring featuring the season’s third F1 Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying, both won by Max Verstappen, attention shifted to Sunday’s 71-lap race.
There was a minor change to the starting grid: Zhou Guanyu was set to start from the pit lane due to setup changes on his Alfa Romeo Sauber after qualifying, although he had already been slated to start from P20.
Windy conditions posed challenges even before the race began, with George Russell locking up into Turn 3 on his way to the grid. He reported the issue to his team, who informed him of a 40 kph gust at the top of the hill entering the corner.
Despite the wind, temperatures were warm as the grid formed. All drivers chose medium tyres, except for Zhou in the pit lane, who opted for the hard compound. Only the Aston Martin drivers selected used tyres; the rest had fresh ones.
Pole-sitter Verstappen got off to a strong start, maintaining his lead. Russell pursued Lando Norris for P2, but the McLaren driver defended his position. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton overtook Carlos Sainz to move into P4 and began chasing his teammate.
Further back, Charles Leclerc damaged his front wing after contact with Oscar Piastri at Turn 1, forcing him to pit and dropping him near the back of the field. Piastri continued and battled with Sergio Perez, briefly running into the gravel after being pushed wide by the Red Bull.
A thrilling intra-team duel between the Mercedes drivers unfolded on Lap 3, with Hamilton overtaking Russell at Turn 3. However, Russell soon used DRS to retake the position. Meanwhile, the stewards noted a Lap 1 incident between Hamilton and Sainz for leaving the track and gaining an advantage but decided not to investigate.
The battle between Hamilton and Sainz continued, with Sainz reclaiming P4 on Lap 7 from Hamilton, who will join Ferrari in 2025. Piastri also moved past Perez into P6 at Turn 6. Replays showed Hamilton was instructed by his engineer to return the position to Sainz following their earlier encounter.
Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo were the first to pit on Lap 10, switching to hard tyres. Nico Hulkenberg pitted a lap later, rejoining near Magnussen, but the Dane stayed ahead in 14th after a brief skirmish.
At the front, Verstappen had extended his lead to over five seconds from Norris by Lap 14. However, things were not looking good for Leclerc, who lost a position to Albon’s Williams and dropped to P19.
Perez, running in seventh, reported sidepod damage from the Lap 1 incident with Leclerc and Piastri. Meanwhile, Magnussen was clearly not in the mood to save tyres, responding with frustration to his engineer’s request.
As many teams considered switching to a three-stop strategy, Leclerc’s day continued to worsen. He pitted for medium tyres and rejoined at the back of the field, seemingly on course to be lapped by Verstappen.
With most front-runners yet to pit, Norris was told by his engineer that the hard compound looked “poor.” However, he was reminded that he had two sets of medium tyres left, a potential advantage over Red Bull, which did not have the same options available.
Elsewhere, the stewards were busy. Zhou expressed frustration after being pushed off track by Alonso, leading to an investigation and a 10-second penalty for Alonso. Hamilton was noted for potentially crossing the white line on pit entry, resulting in a five-second penalty for the seven-time world champion.
On Lap 24, Verstappen made his pit stop, followed by Norris, both switching to hard tyres. This temporarily put Piastri in the lead before he pitted a couple of laps later.
The stewards were called into action again, investigating Verstappen for an unsafe release in the pits involving Norris. Despite Hamilton’s penalty, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff encouraged him over the radio, reminding him that there was still “everything to play for.”
Leclerc, running in P18, was also given encouragement, being told he could still score points. Meanwhile, Verstappen received an update on his gears, suggesting a potential issue being managed by the Red Bull team.
Perez received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, running in seventh, eight seconds behind Piastri in sixth. Behind him, the Haas duo managed to keep a train of cars at bay, with Hulkenberg leading Magnussen in P8 and P9, respectively.
Teamwork was not as smooth for Alpine, as Ocon scrapped with Gasly for P11 before taking the position. A struggling Alonso, overtaken by both, could only watch from behind and remark “wow” over the team radio.
There was a sigh of relief for Red Bull when it was confirmed that the earlier pit lane incident involving Verstappen would face no further action, allowing the Dutchman to maintain an eight-second lead over Norris.
However, the trouble was not entirely over. On Lap 40, Verstappen reported that his tyres were “suddenly feeling really bad,” while Norris had just set the fastest lap. Meanwhile, other drivers were already making their second pit stops.
At Alpine, the internal battle continued, with Gasly determined to take P8 from teammate Ocon, eventually succeeding into Turn 4. Fortunately for the team, the move was smooth and without contact, though both drivers later dropped down the order after their respective pit stops.
Norris had reduced Verstappen’s lead to six seconds, and despite his earlier troubles, Leclerc was making progress, reaching P11 by Lap 46.
Albon, like Hamilton, received a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at pit entry, a setback for the Williams driver running in P15. Closer to the front, Russell pitted from P3 for hard tyres, with Mercedes struggling with their tyre performance.
“I can’t hold this much longer,” Verstappen told his engineer on Lap 48, referring to the lapped Haas cars behind him trying to un-lap themselves. A few laps later, he remarked that his “tyres are ******.”
On Lap 52, both Verstappen and Norris pitted for medium tyres. Verstappen had a slightly slow stop due to a stubborn left-rear wheelnut, and although he emerged ahead of Norris, the gap had shrunk to less than two seconds.
With Norris able to use DRS to edge closer to Verstappen, a thrilling battle for the lead seemed imminent as the race entered its final 16 laps. After an unsuccessful move into Turn 3, Norris told his engineer, “He saw me move and then moved.”
Verstappen was clearly uncomfortable, commenting that it felt like there was “something wrong with the car” due to a lack of grip. Meanwhile, Norris received a black and white flag for track limits as he continued to chase down the Red Bull driver.
Norris made a late move on Lap 59 into Turn 3. Although he initially got ahead, the McLaren ran off the track, forcing Norris to let Verstappen back through. This led to a track limits investigation for Norris, but the fight showed no signs of abating.
The tables turned two laps later when Verstappen also ran off the track following another duel for the lead. Tensions boiled over dramatically on Lap 64 when the pair collided, resulting in both drivers limping back to the pits with punctures.
As Russell swept through to take the lead and Piastri overtook Sainz for second, Norris, who had just received a five-second time penalty for track limits, remained in the pits and ultimately retired the car due to extensive damage.
Verstappen returned to the track but was now down in fifth. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed, and Russell was encouraged by team boss Wolff, “You can win this, George!” The stewards found Verstappen at fault for the incident with Norris, handing him a 10-second penalty.
Despite Piastri’s efforts to close the gap to Russell, it was in vain as the Briton crossed the finish line to secure the second race victory of his F1 career, jubilantly declaring, “It isn’t over until it’s over!”
Piastri finished 1.906 seconds behind in P2, with Sainz completing the podium for Ferrari in P3 and Hamilton in P4. Verstappen retained fifth place, maintaining a sufficient margin over sixth-placed Hulkenberg despite his 10-second penalty.
Perez added to Red Bull’s points tally with a seventh-place finish, while Magnussen secured points for Haas in eighth. Ricciardo’s RBl and Gasly’s Alpine completed the top 10.
Leclerc, despite being predicted to reach a points-paying position, just missed out, finishing P11 after four pit stops. Ocon claimed P12 following his earlier battles with his teammate, while Stroll was the lead Aston Martin on a challenging weekend for the team.
Tsunoda and Albon followed in 14th and 15th, with the Alfa Romeo pair of Bottas and Zhou in 16th and 17th. Alonso finished 18th, marking a tough day for the Spaniard despite setting the fastest lap. Sargeant was the final classified driver in 19th for Williams.
Norris was the only retiree from the race after the dramatic collision with Verstappen, marking his first DNF of the season and lamenting what could have been a win.
2024 Austrian Grand Prix race results
The 2024 Austrian Grand Prix Race was held on 30 June 2024, at 3:00 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 71 | 1:24:22.798 | 25 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 71 | +1.906s | 18 |
| 3 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 71 | +4.533s | 15 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 71 | +23.142s | 12 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen1 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 71 | +37.253s | 10 |
| 6 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 71 | +54.088s | 8 |
| 7 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 71 | +54.672s | 6 |
| 8 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 71 | +60.355s | 4 |
| 9 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 71 | +61.169s | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 71 | +61.766s | 1 |
| 11 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 71 | +67.056s | 0 |
| 12 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 71 | +68.325s | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon2 | Williams Mercedes | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 14 | Fernando Alonso3 | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 19 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 20 | 4 | Lando Norris4 | McLaren Mercedes | 64 | +7 laps | 0 |
2Albon received a five-second time penalty for crossing the line at pit entry.
3Fastest lap: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes) – 1:07.694 (lap 70)
4Norris received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track without a justifiable reason multiple times.
2024 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
2024 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 237 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren | 156 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 150 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Ferrari | 135 |
| 5 | Sergio Pérez | MEX | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 118 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren | 112 |
| 7 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes | 111 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes | 85 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Mercedes | 41 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | RB-Honda RBPT | 19 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Mercedes | 17 |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Haas Ferrari | 14 |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | RB-Honda RBPT | 11 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | Ferrari | 6 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Alpine Renault | 6 |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Haas Ferrari | 5 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Alpine Renault | 3 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | THA | Williams Mercedes | 2 |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | CHN | Stake F1 Team | 0 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Stake F1 Team | 0 |
| 21 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
2024 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 355 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 291 |
| 3 | McLaren Mercedes | 268 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 196 |
| 5 | Aston Martin Mercedes | 58 |
| 6 | RB-Honda RBPT | 30 |
| 7 | Haas Ferrari | 19 |
| 8 | Alpine Renault | 9 |
| 9 | Williams Mercedes | 2 |
| 10 | Stake F1 Team | 0 |
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