Max Verstappen stormed to his seventh win in nine races at the Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix, dominating both the sprint and the feature race. But an off-track battle overshadowed the action, and a riot erupted over track limit violations that resulted in a final standings change a few hours into the race. Here you can find out more about this and the other big topics from last weekend
On track, the 2023 edition of the Austrian Grand Prix featured plenty of wheel-to-wheel action and was arguably one of the most exciting Formula 1 races of the year.
But many of the biggest talking points stayed outside of the race, and quite literally, as a track barrier storm raged during and after the race at the Red Bull Ring.
The result itself was well known as Max Verstappen clinched his seventh win in nine races, although Ferrari enjoyed an upswing in Austria, beating rivals Mercedes and Aston Martin. Although several track limit violations smothered the field with in-race penalties, Aston’s post-event protests uncovered more violations and changed the final results once more as the FIA imposed more penalties.
Here are our usual 10 things we learned from this year’s Austrian Grand Prix.
1. The Verstappen train is not slowing down
Max Verstappen’s fifth consecutive F1 win continued Red Bull’s stranglehold in 2023
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
It is increasingly likely that Red Bull will achieve what McLaren failed to do in 1988. Max Verstappen’s fifth straight F1 win cemented Red Bull’s stranglehold in 2023 with pole, fastest lap and a sprint race win. If any other team wants to win this season, Red Bull will have to crash spectacularly – and it doesn’t look like that will be the case any time soon.
For Verstappen, it hardly looks like he will be challenged within his own team. Sergio Perez’s early flashes of performance and his whispered innuendo that he could actually be a part of the 2023 title fight appear to have waned after struggling with compromised qualifying sessions and indifferent race performances despite the all-encompassing machinery at his disposal.
Even if Ferrari sporadically caused Red Bull problems in Austria, Verstappen overcame them all and had enough reserves to pit towards the end and secure the fastest lap point on soft tires. The other teams just don’t have an answer to Red Bull and Verstappen at this point.
But just as Jean-Louis Schlesser knocked out Ayrton Senna at Monza 35 years ago, Verstappen can’t expect to have everything his way as the season progresses.
2. The frenzy around the track limits hits rock bottom
Lewis Hamilton fended off another 10-second punch and slipped back to eighth place
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Over 1,200 reports of route limit violations reached the FIA’s recording systems during the Austrian Grand Prix. While crossing the white line in Turns 9 and 10 resulted in trackside penalties and appropriate penalties being imposed, the result at the end of the checkered flag was conspicuously preliminary. When Aston Martin protested the result, implying that the FIA had missed further coastdown attempts in the final two corners, another barrage of penalties were imposed to change the order yet again.
Carlos Sainz was dropped from fourth to sixth, allowing Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso to move up the field. Lewis Hamilton fended off another 10-second deficit to slip back to eighth place, while Pierre Gasly’s extra race time doubled Lance Stroll’s race yield.
Esteban Ocon, who was penalized throughout the race, was hit the hardest. The FIA found a further ten counts of track limit violations on his behalf and imposed a penalty on him, adding 30 seconds to his race time. He finished outside of the points anyway, but it capped a miserable afternoon nonetheless and ended his four-race points streak. That is how it goes.
Regardless, uncertainty about track limits and the lack of a physical deterrent meant that what was a thrilling race degenerated into a circus. To the FIA’s credit they had suggested after last year’s race that turns 9 and 10 be lined with gravel traps, but the Red Bull Ring’s track chiefs had refused. With everyone now demanding an alternative, it may be time to reconsider this proposal…
3. Inconsistent Ferrari shows competitive pressure…
Leclerc’s strong opening move brought him within reach of Verstappen
Photo by: Alessio Morgese
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz showed excellent form on Friday. Only practice suggested that the two SF-23s could have an advantage over Mercedes and Aston Martin and qualifying lived up to those promises with Leclerc and Sainz completing the top three behind Verstappen.
Then the team mysteriously spiraled out of control on Saturday, at least compared to their Friday promise. Sainz still made it into the top three, but Leclerc’s starting penalty for handicapping Oscar Piastri put him in midfield – and a pit stop for slicks didn’t pay off.
Things changed again on Sunday and the team returned to their Friday form, at least showing consistency in their inconsistency. Leclerc’s strong opening game put him within striking distance of Verstappen but after a brief first-round skirmish his attempt to anger the Dutchman was hardly fruitful. The pit stop under the virtual safety car at least bought Ferrari some time at the front, with Leclerc leading ten laps, but Verstappen’s comeback led to an all-too-familiar end product.
On a day when tire degradation was greater than expected, Ferrari seemed to have it under control. While Scuderia is a long way from Red Bull, ironing out the huge deficits in racing performance at least means they can beat Mercedes and Aston Martin more regularly.
4. …but Sainz points out that he does not agree with strategic demands
Ferrari’s rigidity about strategy caused some consternation within the ranks
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
For all the praise Ferrari has received for its efforts in Austria, the company’s rigidity in terms of strategy caused some dismay among the ranks. The driver of the number 55 car, in particular, felt suffocated by the team’s eagerness to maintain the status quo in the early stages.
Sainz might be right. He sat on Leclerc’s gearbox until orders came to stop him from attacking his teammate and the situation was such that a slow pit stop by Leclerc as they pitted under the virtual safety car resulted in one Delay for Sainz amid their double stack led effort. The VSC ended when Sainz crawled out of the pits, costing him further time and dropping him behind Norris and Hamilton. Frowning and clenching his teeth, Sainz slammed his Ferrari past them to regain lost positions, but suspected the attempt to make up lost time had resulted in track limit violations. Without that, he would assume a podium finish was in sight.
The Spaniard didn’t comment afterwards as he expressed his frustration at the time. Perhaps it would have been better for him to call the shots himself, as in the past, and take the risk of overtaking his teammate and advancing his own race. After all, sometimes it’s easier to apologize than ask for permission.
5. McLaren updates look promising in Norris’ hands
Norris showed a far greater pace than was possible in the previous eight races
Photo by: Alessio Morgese
A new floor and sidepod package, the next step in McLaren’s overhaul of its MCL60 chassis, had been accelerated for the Austrian Grand Prix – but only one was available. Norris was the lucky recipient, showing far greater speed than had been possible in the previous eight races. Fourth in qualifying for the Grand Prix and third in the sprint race demonstrated the impact of the new upgrades, especially when compared to Oscar Piastri’s success – or lack thereof – with the older spec.
While a pinch of anti-stall agent kept Norris stuck in the sprint, there were fewer problems in the full-throttle 71-lap race. Sure, he lost a position to Hamilton at the start, but he caught and passed the Mercedes driver to regain lost ground and later had enough power to put his former teammate Sainz ahead. The attack failed when Sergio Perez disrupted their fight, but fifth on the road (which later became fourth when Sainz dropped to sixth after the race) showed McLaren seemed to be on the right track.
Even Norris admitted his surprise at his racing performance, although he felt the MCL60 still has a long way to go in instilling more confidence behind the wheel in drivers. “I was a bit nervous going into the race as I was afraid the race speed would let us down today but it was actually better than I expected which was a good surprise,” noted the Brit. “Still not great, Fernando was definitely faster, a little bit faster every lap and I crashed almost every corner, but fifth place shows that we made a good step forward, so I’m very happy with that.”
6. Mercedes and Hamilton “surprised” by the lack of speed in Austria
Mercedes experienced a difficult weekend in Austria
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
When Mercedes finally abandoned its unique design concept and opted for a more conventional layout, the improved performances in Monaco, Spain and Canada indicated the company had made the right decision. So Austria’s troubles may prove to be outliers, but a comparatively icy turn at the Red Bull Ring had the team stumped in search of answers.
It could be as harmless as a setup direction that doesn’t match the W14’s new layout, and that racing could offer engineers a learning experience they shouldn’t. That the front wing was turned out too much seemed to be Hamilton’s main take on why Mercedes was struggling, pointing out that the team had compromised too much in trying to fix the still-thorny rear.
“I definitely didn’t expect today to be as bad as today,” he said. “I don’t really have an answer to that. It’s definitely surprising, but the feel of the car was very similar to the feeling I had last year, so it’s not the biggest surprise in that regard.”
“The last two races were much, much better than today. We knew we had a really bad rear end here so we removed a lot of the front wings to keep the balance so we could go a long run and go long.” We overdid it massively and I was almost at my best in the last two corners. When I went into Turn 10 I just slipped and I couldn’t do anything about it. Through the stops we then added a lot of wings and the car started up to slowly get back to at least finding our way around and staying on track.”
7. The planned rules for 2026 receive mixed reviews in light of early simulations
Christian Horner was among those who expressed concern about the 2026 plans
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
In two and a half seasons, Formula 1 will change its engine formula for the first time since 2014. The MGU-H, which has proven expensive and offered little street relevance for manufacturers, is being dropped and the MGU-K will have a significantly larger role in the overall package. The aim is for the MGU-K to produce 350 kW (approx. 470 hp) of power – a considerable increase over the currently used 120 kW (160 hp) unit. Active aerodynamics are also said to play a role in mitigating the ongoing problems of following other cars.
However, there were concerns that the energy recovery to provide the full 350kW of power over a lap will be marginal at best and that the cars risk running out of battery power.
“Perhaps we urgently need to look at the relationship between combustion power and electric power before it’s too late to ensure we don’t create a technical Frankenstein where the chassis has to make such a trade-off with moving vehicles.” To reduce drag to the point where racing is compromised,” Christian Horner calculated. The suggestion is that the moving aero and driver inputs would need to be modified significantly to achieve the proper energy return.
Max Verstappen also tucked the boot in, suggesting “it looks pretty awful”.
“If you go full throttle on the straight at Monza and I don’t know what it is, like four hundred or five hundred [metres] “Before the end of the straight you have to downshift at full throttle because that’s faster,” he explained. “I don’t think that’s the right way.” But of course, that’s probably one of the worst tracks.”
However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff accused the Red Bull leadership of running a political move in the event that the powertrain project, which Ford is partnering with, does not deliver the expected returns.
“I think maybe what scares him more is the fact that his engine program isn’t working and then maybe he wants to end it.” [the rules] this way. So you always have to ask yourself what the real motivation is to say something like that?” said Wolff.
“We have developed these regulations over many years with the involvement of all car manufacturers. It was a compromise that made Audi finally get into the sport and Honda to stay there. This is the best possible case imaginable for F1.”
8. AlphaTauri changes clothes again – but does not revive the nickname Toro Rosso
AlphaTauri is about to undergo another rebranding
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Ahead of the 2020 F1 season, the Scuderia Toro Rosso team transformed into AlphaTauri, based on the Red Bull GmbH clothing brand. Under his new name, Pierre Gasly led the team to victory at that year’s Italian Grand Prix and continued to play a starring role the following year as the team rose.
Aside from the drop on track as the team struggled to get comfortable with the ground effects regulations of the 2022 spec, it appears the team is primed for another rebranding exercise as the ‘deal’ with AlphaTauri has run its course has. What that might be remains to be seen, but management said during the Austrian GP weekend that it would not mean a return to the Toro Rosso name – who entered Formula One in 2006 when Red Bull bought Minardi.
“I don’t believe [it will revert to Toro Rosso]”, explained Franz Tost. “I think there’s another way to make more money out of it.”
“First of all, all teams are negotiating with sponsors this season. And of course we are also in negotiations and the title sponsor is very attractive and we will see what the negotiations will bring in the coming months. But right now we are talking to different companies. Luckily there is a lot of interest in Scuderia AlphaTauri. Nothing has been confirmed yet, and nothing has been signed yet. And that won’t happen in the next few days either. I think that will be the case It may take a few months to fix everything.
This comes as the team are expected to develop their ties with Red Bull, taking on as many transferrable parts as possible within the regulations, as well as expanding their UK operations.
9. De Vries has borrowed time
De Vries is in dire need of a strong British Grand Prix as he faces continued pressure
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
When a driver’s future in Formula 1 is in jeopardy, his response can either win a reprieve or increase team dissatisfaction. Helmut Marko, the Red Bull advisor who mainly deals with riders from the two teams on the grid, put extra pressure on Nyck de Vries ahead of the Austrian GP weekend as the little Dutchman has had a difficult start to 2023 – and de Vries’ performance at The Red Bull Ring will have done little to alleviate that.
After the final qualifying session, de Vries’ car received a setup change to allow for a pit lane start for the Grand Prix. Whilst he seemed more comfortable with the overall package after that, he was guilty of oversteer and again quarreled with Kevin Magnussen for the second straight race. Although Magnussen’s attempt to pass de Vries on the outside at Turn 6 was ambitious, he was wide enough to gain space. Instead, the Dane had to run over the gravel bed when the AlphaTauri pushed him off the track.
De Vries received a five-second penalty for his involvement in the incident, while Magnussen managed to hide his anger afterwards. “He is fighting for his future and [is] perhaps in a somewhat desperate situation,” concluded Magnussen. “There’s really nothing I can say about that. He got a penalty so that’s what it is.”
Red Bull director Christian Horner had expressed sympathy for de Vries ahead of the weekend, but Red Bull would give Daniel Ricciardo a test at a post-Silverstone test to see “where he is, where his confidence is and what he’s doing.” . “. That’s why de Vries badly needs a strong British Grand Prix if he’s going to keep the barking wolves out the door.
10. Wet weather wheel arches are tested at Silverstone
Mercedes and McLaren will conduct tests to find out how to mitigate spray during wet racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Following this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, both Mercedes and McLaren will be conducting tests on behalf of the FIA to fit wheel arches to their cars to see how to mitigate spray during wet racing. This was originally conceived after the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix and was notable for not having any racing laps as visibility was far too limited to allow for anything other than a fleeting race behind the safety car.
This test took on additional significance with the unfortunate death of Formula Regional European Championship driver Dilano van ‘t Hoff, who died at Spa on Saturday following an accident at the Raidillon exit in wet conditions. In poor visibility, the 18-year-old had an accident on the Kemmel straight and was hit unseen by another car in the spray.
This prompted expressions of condolence and outbursts of anger within the Formula 1 community, which concluded that drastic changes were needed to eliminate the possibility of such circumstances ever repeating themselves. Poor visibility has long been a growing problem among motorists, and it is hoped that the wheel arch test may provide early solutions to the problems caused by wet spray.
The 2023 Austrian GP brought a well-known result: both Red Bulls were on the podium
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images