After a thrilling race at Silverstone, Formula 1 heads to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix, which represents the second of three sprint weekends in the 2022 calendar.
Max Verstappen will be looking for a positive response following a forgettable British Grand Prix for the Dutchman, while Carlos Sainz heads into the weekend as a race winner after clinching his first Formula 1 victory last Sunday.
Race preview
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Formula 1 began the European section of the season in style, with the British Grand Prix producing a race for the ages.
The race was red-flagged for an hour following a concerning first corner incident, which resulted in the Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu flipping over and vaulting into the security fence.
Zhou was eventually freed from his car after being trapped between the tyre barriers and the catch fence, with the Chinese driver given the all-clear after visiting the on-site medical facility.
Once the race restarted, the crowds in the grandstands were treated to a classic, which culminated in Sainz clinching his first win, while Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton picked up second and third place respectively.
While fans lauded a superb grand prix, Verstappen would have quickly put his Sunday afternoon behind him after the Dutchman ran over debris, which caused significant damage and subsequent performance loss to his car, leaving the championship leader down in seventh place.
Despite a disappointing result last weekend, Verstappen carries a significant 34-point lead into the weekend, and he will be confident of extending that gap, having already won six races this season.
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Verstappen's teammate Perez also suffered damage to his car in the early stages of the race, but the Mexican driver fought his way back through the field before a late safety car gave him the chance to fight for a podium place.
Like Red Bull, Ferrari's two drivers experienced mixed fortunes, with Sainz claiming his first pole position and race win in one weekend, while Charles Leclerc had to settle for fourth spot despite leading the race when the safety car was deployed.
Leclerc was left perplexed by Ferrari's strategy to let him continue on used hard tyres, while his teammate pitted for fresh softs.
With 43 points separating him from Verstappen in the championship standings, Leclerc will be fully aware that he needs a positive result this weekend.
As for Mercedes, their new updates seemed to pay dividends after Hamilton showed good pace which got many home fans excited for a race win, but the late safety car played its part in the seven-time champion finishing in third place.
Hamilton's teammate George Russell will be looking to make full use of the Mercedes upgrades this weekend after the British driver was caught up in the first lap incident at Silverstone, which ended his run of finishing in the top five of every race this season.
Track Guide
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Formula 1 swaps one of the longest tracks on the calendar for one of the shortest this weekend, but the nine corners of the Red Bull Ring usually result in entertainment.
The first half of the track involves three long straights, which will all contain DRS activation zones.
Once the drivers reach turn four, they must negotiate the twisty section of the track before heading into the final sector.
The cars will carry tremendous speed into turn nine and 10, but they must be mindful of keeping inside track limits before driving to the line.
With the Grand Prix hosting the second of three sprint races this season, the drivers also have the ability to make up or lose ground on Saturday, with points also on offer ahead of the race on Sunday.
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Red Bull have performed well in recent times at their home Grand Prix, with Verstappen winning three of the last four races, and the Dutchman will have the chance to claim consecutive victories at the Red Bull Ring after winning at the circuit last season.
Valtteri Bottas is the only other driver to win in Austria in the last five years, but with the Finnish driver no longer racing for Mercedes, a win this time around for Bottas seems out of the question.
Hamilton has one Austrian Grand Prix win to his name, but a podium rather than a race win is a more realistic expectation for the Mercedes driver this weekend.
As for Leclerc, he will be aiming to improve upon a poor record around the Red Bull Ring after finishing on the podium in just one of his five appearances at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Qualifying Results
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1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
6. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
7. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
8. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
10. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
11. Alexander Albon (Williams)
12. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
13. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
14. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
15. Lando Norris (McLaren)
16. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
19. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
20. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
Max Verstappen claimed his third pole position of the season ahead of Saturday's sprint, which will ultimately determine the grid for Sunday's race.
Aston Martin experienced another poor qualifying, with both of their drivers failing to make it into the second qualifying session for the third consecutive Grand Prix weekend.
Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo also struggled in the McLarens, qualifying in 15th and 16th place respectively, while Alexander Albon enjoyed a strong afternoon to put his Williams into 11th position.
The early signs in qualifying were that the Mercedes had the pace to challenge for the top positions, but Hamilton and Russell both ended Q3 in the barriers to halt any hopes of a top-three start.
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez originally qualified in fourth place behind the two Ferraris, but the stewards deleted his Q3 lap times after they established the Mexican driver had breached track limits on his final run of Q2, leaving Perez down in 13th place for the sprint race.
Sprint Race Results
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1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
6. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
7. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
8. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
9. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
10. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
11. Lando Norris (McLaren)
12. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
14. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
15. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
16. Alexander Albon (Williams)
17. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
18. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
19. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
20. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
Max Verstappen won the second sprint race of the season to ensure the Dutchman will start Sunday's Grand Prix at the front of the grid.
The two Ferrari's entertained the fans with a battle that saw Charles Leclerc come out on top, while George Russell experienced a lonely race in fourth spot.
Sergio Perez made his way up from 13th to fifth place, while Lewis Hamilton was frustrated by Mick Schumacher for a number of laps before passing the German to take up ninth spot.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso will start at the back of the grid after an electrical issue prevent his Alpine from starting the sprint race.
Driver Standings
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 181
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 147
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 138
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 127
5. George Russell (Mercedes) - 111
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 93
7. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 58
8. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) - 46
9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) - 39
10. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) - 28
11. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) - 16
12. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) - 16
13. Sebastian Vettel - 15
14. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) - 15
15. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) - 11
16. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) - 5
17. Mick Schumacher (Haas) - 4
18. Alexander Albon (Williams) - 3
19. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 3
20. Nico Hulkenberg (Aston Martin) - 0
21. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) - 0
Constructor Standings
1. Red Bull - 328
2. Ferrari - 265
3. Mercedes - 204
4. McLaren - 73
5. Alpine - 67
6. Alfa Romeo - 51
7. AlphaTauri - 27
8. Haas - 20
9. Aston Martin - 18
10. Williams - 3
We say: Max Verstappen to win
Despite his struggles in Silverstone last weekend, Verstappen usually performs around the Red Bull Ring, and we think that the Dutchman will fight off his rivals to claim a fourth Austrian Grand Prix victory.
