The factors that could make Austria the antidote to F1’s woes
Ferrari topped Friday practice in Austria, although the order was muddied by a couple of hefty shunts. The Red Bull Ring's grass and gravel traps make it a sterner test than Paul Ricard, but the reason so many came a cropper was a little more complex than that…
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Coming a few days after the open-plan madness of Paul Ricard, a track delineated virtually by white, blue and red paint, it was refreshing to see Formula 1 cars back on a circuit with what might be termed 'natural' track limits.
Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen, who both crashed during FP2, might disagree with that after heavy impacts, as might Sebastian Vettel – who spun and just kept the rear end of his Ferrari out of the barrier after losing it on turn-in to the final corner. Amazingly, the Red Bull Ring has now claimed more victims in three hours of practice running than the close walls of Monaco managed over a whole race weekend.
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