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The 2023 F1 Austrian GP will be the second sprint weekend of the season, and this time around, it will be at Max Verstappen's favorite hunting ground. The Red Bull ring has been home to some fantastic races over the past few years, with the Austrian team winning a fair share of them as well.
Even before Red Bull truly became a dominant force at the front of the grid in 2021, the team enjoyed success on this track.
In 2018, Max Verstappen won the race, holding off the challenge from the championship-contending Ferraris and Mercedes. In 2019, it was the spectacular battle against Charles Leclerc that got him the win.
Fast forward to 2023, and Max Verstappen can almost call the F1 Austrian GP his home race (it is Red Bull's home race, and there will be a sea of orange at the track).
He's won four times on this track, and the support he gets here can only be paralleled by what he gets in Zandvoort. This should probably temper his rather foul attitude towards the sprint weekend.
The runaway championship favorite is not a huge fan of the sprint format, and he's made that abundantly clear. The fact that the last time he lost a race was during a sprint weekend would be fresh in his mind. He would be aiming to build on the momentum of the last four races.
So what can we expect at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP race weekend? Let's find out as we take a look at the preview and predictions.
2023 F1 Austrian GP: Preview
Key Storylines
#1 The upgraded Aston Martin
The low downforce configuration, coupled with the low temperatures of Canada, meant that the Aston Martin truly came alive. The car was the closest it has been to Red Bull throughout the season, and Fernando Alonso was even talking about "challenging for the win."
Looking back, there are quite a few factors that contributed to Red Bull not being as dominant in Canada. But it's hard to deny that the Aston Martin upgrade was something impressive.
The team has claimed that it is yet to fully understand it and will unleash its true potential in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP weekend. If that is the case, then it's worth keeping a close eye on how the car behaves compared to Red Bull.
#2 The new sprint format
The new sprint format did not receive the warmest of welcomes in the paddock in Baku. Arguably, with the exception of Stefano Domenicali, who seemingly loved it, it was considered exhaustive by a few as well.
Looking ahead to its second iteration, the forecast of rain might make things a bit interesting. But it remains to be seen how the fans and the participants adapt to the new format and whether it proves to be a value-adding experience or not.
#3 The pecking order intricacy
The 2023 F1 Austrian GP comes at a very interesting point in the season. The circus reaches Austria after Canada, where the grid was as close as it had been the entire season.
Ferrari appeared to have found something very impressive in its race pace, while both Aston Martin and Mercedes find themselves in a far more competitive situation right now.
On a race weekend that is going to be impacted by rain and is going to have the sprint format, the margin for error is much smaller. When that happens, the factor of unpredictability increases, and that could even mean Red Bull's 8-race win streak breaking in its home race.
Form Guide
On Form
Keep an eye on Aston Martin at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, as the team comes in with a lot of expectations. The upgrade brought to Canada was a step up for the team, that's for sure. How big a step was it? For that, we will need to wait and find out how the team performs.
The signs are positive, the track characteristics in Austria also match the characteristics in Canada. Keep an eye on Aston Martin as the team rides on the wave of optimism this weekend.
Out of Form
Sergio Perez has transformed from being a championship contender in Baku to a driver whose seat is in peril after Canada. In just four races, the Mexican has seen his championship challenge reach a grinding halt as even Christian Horner has started to question the lack of results after Canada.
Perez has not taken on the role of being a frontrunner as well as many would have hoped he would. And with a title challenge as good as over, he would be hoping to tail Max Verstappen as best as he could in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP.
2023 F1 Austrian GP: Predictions
Who wins the race?
It's hard to look beyond Max Verstappen, especially since we're talking about Austria. The driver has loved producing great results on Red Bull's home track.
Even though last season Red Bull struggled in the race and Charles Leclerc won the Grand Prix on Sunday, this time around, the challenge is seemingly not as potent.
Whether it is the sprint on Saturday or the race on Sunday, Max Verstappen is the frontrunner for winning both of them at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP.
Surprise of the weekend (Team)
It's always hard to expect a strong result from Ferrari this season. The team has shown an uncanny ability to make a mistake in the most innocuous positions. Having said that, we're backing Ferrari to be the surprise of the weekend this time around, and there is certainly some logic behind this.
The first is the track characteristics that should suit the car. The Italian team struggles in the fast-speed sections, but the Red Bull ring does not have many of them.
The second key factor is the surprise race pace that Ferrari unlocked in Canada. If the team is able to bring that advantage here, then it could spice things up a bit.
Surprise of the weekend (Driver)
George Russell has become a bit of a forgotten man in F1 in the last few races. The driver has not painted himself in glory with the kind of comments he's made off the track and his antics on the track. In all of this, though, George is still a top-quality driver and, one could even say, a future world champion.
At the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, we're backing the Mercedes driver to make a strong comeback and serve as a reminder to the rest of the grid of how good he is.
Disappointment of the weekend (Team)
Haas had a strong qualifying performance in Canada and followed that up with a stinker of a race. The team continues to overachieve in terms of qualifying pace and struggle in terms of race pace throughout this season.
At the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, unfortunately, it's hard to see things taking a turn for something different. Expect more of the same as the team once again puts together a decent qualifying performance only to struggle once in the race.
Disappointment of the weekend (Driver)
Lance Stroll and his position in the team is under the scanner more than any other driver on the grid. The Canadian has been doing a below-par job when it comes to stringing together results in that Aston Martin.
At the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, it's hard to see things changing as, once again the usual suspects will rise to the front. Stroll might find himself struggling to keep up with Fernando Alonso.
