Red Bull
It was a case of “work done” for Red Bull in the Sprint, with Max Verstappen advancing away from pole and holding that position up to the checkered flag to seal an impressive victory. Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez climbed the field from 13th position on the grid to fifth position, from where he believes he will be able to get on the podium at Sunday’s Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Verstappen delights in the victory of the “flat” sprint after winning the P1 at the Austrian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen, 1st
“It makes me feel good to take home the Sprint victory here in the Red Bull Ring. The first two laps were important for me to make a difference, from there it was a matter of keeping pace. The Sprint race , of course, does not offer you the full picture for tomorrow’s race, but in terms of pace, it is very close between us and Ferrari.
“I still hope it’s a tough battle tomorrow, we’ll have tough tires too, so it will be interesting to see how they work during the race. It will be very important to make good strategy calls during the race like you. I never know what can happen, it won’t be simple, but I’m looking forward to it. “
Sergio Perez, 5th
“It was a good race and recovery, I had a good start and I kept out of trouble, it was complicated with Lewis and a lot of people going elbow to elbow in the third corner. We made the most of the Sprint and I think it’s a strong result on our part. Once I overcame everyone, George Russell was a little far for me to catch up, I wish I was back in P4, but I can fight from fifth position.
“There are lessons we can learn from the Sprint race to make sure we get on the podium tomorrow. Patience will be key on Sunday; I want to start well and get into the mix right away in the race. I did four. Positions in the “Today ‘s first lap, so we hope it will be the same tomorrow. We are still to unlock some potential for the car so we can wait for the race.”
Christian Horner, team manager
“It was great to get the pole yesterday and get the victory in the Sprint race and keep that for tomorrow’s race is fantastic. Max hit the tires very hard to break the DRS, it’s a pretty long stage and Ferrari was saving his tires, but that’s the strategy we chose and what you get out at the beginning recovers in the end. Max handled it well and it was a reasonably comfortable race for him. Yesterday was a tough penalty for Checo, but today he made an incredible first lap, managed to catch the cars and regained eight places to return to the P5, which was only one place behind where we thought he should ‘to have been.
“Tomorrow will be a fascinating race, it looks like the Ferraris are fast, so we need another good start, a great first lap and lowering our heads. The support we had here in Austria at the Red Bull Ring has been amazing, for on the team and for Max in particular from the orange army. The fans from all over the world have been fantastic, but it is great to run at home and prepare us for an exciting race tomorrow. “
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 9: Sprint winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 takes the checkered flag during the Austrian F1 Sprint Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on 9 July 2022 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mario Renzi – Formula 1 / Formula 1 via Getty Images)
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 09: Sprint Max Verstappen winner from the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrate in the park firm during the Austrian F1 Sprint Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 9, 2022 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Lars Baron – Formula 1 / Formula 1 via Getty Images)
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 09: Sergio Pérez of Mexico and Red Bull Racing during the Sprint race of the Austrian F1 Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 9, 2022 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Peter Fox / Getty Images)
Ferrari
Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz challenged Max Verstappen on the first lap of the Sprint, but then it became a fight between the two as they fought for P2. In the end, Leclerc has come home ahead of his teammate, meaning he has started Sunday’s Grand Prix in the same positions where he qualified on Friday.
READ MORE: “We can’t afford to do what we did today,” Leclerc says after battling teammate Sainz at Sprint
Charles Leclerc, 2nd
“I started pretty well. First, we had a battle with Max (Verstappen), who was a bit on the edge. Then Carlos overtook me but I regained my position on lap 4. I just focused on managing my tires for the first laps to be able to push more towards the end, it was a good plan as we picked up pace and felt good with the tires.
“We lost a bit of time in the battles, but it was fun and I don’t think it has changed much in terms of today’s overall result. Tire management will be key in tomorrow’s race and I think it could be exciting.” .
Carlos Sainz, 3rd
“Today has been a good race, especially the first laps fighting with Max and Charles. At the start there was a chance to get Max on turn 3 and I went to look for it, but I couldn’t do it. sticking out.Then On the first few laps, then I had to let the tires and battery recover, before I got back to my pace and that was almost all for today.
“Tomorrow is the real race and we will start again in the same positions. We are all very close together up front and the fight will be tight. Our rivals seemed to have a little more pace today but we will. Our best effort to challenge them tomorrow”.
Laurent Mekies, director of racing
“Today’s Sprint race has confirmed that there is also a lot of closeness between us and our main rivals on this track. It was important to check it in race conditions and I would say that the 23 laps this afternoon have confirmed it. .I think tomorrow’s race will be very much contested and anything can happen, it comes down to the details, so now, together with our Maranello teammates, we will analyze everything in depth to find out how to get the most out of our package.
“The management of the tires, especially at the beginning and end of the stays, could be the key element and we must be prepared to make the most of the opportunities presented to us. Tomorrow will again be a case of two against two, like Sergio. Pérez has occupied several places this afternoon and, therefore, the contribution of our two pilots will be fundamental if we want to achieve the result we are looking for “.
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 9: Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari F1-75 leads Spaniard Carlos Sainz driving (55) the Ferrari F1-75 during the Austrian F1 Sprint Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 9th. 2022 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1 / Formula 1 via Getty Images)
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 09: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari F1-75 on track during the Austrian F1 Sprint Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 9, 2022 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Clive Rose / Getty Images)
Mercedes
George Russell said he had a lone race up to the P4 in the Sprint as he wasn’t fast enough to catch the leaders but had a gap with the cars behind him. Lewis Hamilton had a more exciting afternoon, surviving contact with Pierre Gasly on turn 1 on the first lap, before rolling a dice with Mick Schumacher and finally passing the Haas to take the last point offered. for the P8.
READ MORE: Mercedes’ pace “is not what we expected,” Russell says after finishing P4 in Sprint, while Hamilton, angry, reflects on first-lap accidents
George Russell, 4th
“First of all, thank everyone in the garage for having the car ready today. It was a great team effort, so it was good to get points on the board. In terms of performance, the difference was more than we were 13 seconds behind after 23 laps, so that’s almost half a second per lap.
“We have to work through the night to understand why we slowed down. The little things can make a difference: the tires weren’t easy to manage and the different approaches to the aerodynamic force levels will play a role tomorrow. But we have no doubt that we have work to do “.
Lewis Hamilton, 8th
“I’m grateful to have been able to survive today. The team did a great job of getting the car back last night and this morning. Thank you so much to them and I’m glad I turned it almost all into one. I had a good start, then Pierre [Gasly] moved over me at turn 1. I don’t understand why drivers do it when there’s so much space on the right, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
“Then the same thing happened on turn 3 with a Williams and a Red Bull. I had some damage, but at least I was able to keep going. After that, I was just trying to catch up. We’re slower on the straights, so I had to wait until I got off the DRS train to overtake the cars in front.That’s why it took a few laps to overtake Mick.I hope we can run stronger tomorrow, we cross our fingers! “
Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“After such an incredible effort by the mechanics to build the cars and be able to run, it was a somewhat disappointing performance in terms of speed. We couldn’t show our usual improvement in running pace compared to performance. one lap, as in other events, and this year George did a good job, but the car lacked the pace to keep up with the train ahead.
“For Lewis, he had contact on the first lap which cost him ground. Then it was a good battle with Mick, …