By Alan Baldwin
(Reuters) – Red Bull are ready for a homecoming party as they celebrate 100 wins in Formula One with a sellout crowd at the first Austrian Grand Prix since the death last October of the team’s billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull’s runaway leader and winner of six of eight races so far this season as he heads for his third championship in a row, will be favourite to make it 101 at Spielberg on Sunday.
The Dutch 25-year-old can become the most successful driver in Austrian Grand Prix history if he wins for a fourth time, one more than the record he shares with French great Alain Prost.
Verstappen already has four wins at the scenic circuit, having also won the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.
“It’s great to be going back to Austria with this run of results,” said team boss Christian Horner after Verstappen’s landmark win in Canada.
“There’ll be a big home crowd, it’s a sellout and they always put on a big event. I think this year’s event will be maybe the biggest event they’ve ever put on.”
Security will be tighter and more visible after some spectators reported racist, sexist and homophobic abuse last year, with alcohol no longer allowed into the event. Rain is also forecast for Friday and Saturday.
Austria is the second sprint of the season, a chance for Verstappen to stretch his huge 69 point lead over team mate Sergio Perez who has not featured on the podium for the last three races.
Verstappen won the sprint in Austria last year but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc triumphed on Sunday with his Dutch rival second and Perez failing to finish after a first lap collision with Mercedes’ George Russell.
Ferrari have had just one podium so far this season, on a sprint weekend in Baku when Leclerc finished third on Sunday, and have not won since Austria last July. Of the 19 races since then Red Bull have won 18 and Mercedes one.
Mercedes are aiming to build on momentum, with seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton third in Canada and the car expected to perform better in Austria.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will be chasing his seventh podium appearance in nine races while McLaren and Renault-owned Alpine are also hoping to be more competitive.
Spielberg marks the start of what McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has signalled as a “major overhaul of the car” with further upgrades to come at Silverstone and in Hungary.
“At the start of the season, we realized the car needed a fundamental redesign,” he said in Montreal. “I would say, pretty much every single aerodynamic part.
“We had to redesign even some parts under the bodywork. That’s also why it took some time to be in condition to deliver these upgrades.”
Further back, Williams will have upgrades that only Alex Albon had in Canada on his way to seventh place.
“This track is another one that should suit our car more than some other circuits,” said the Thai.
“With this format being a sprint weekend, coupled with the rain, it’s all to play for.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Christian Radnedge)
