The F1 Austrian GP will mark the halfway stage of the 2022 season. The season has been slightly unpredictable when it comes to judging which teams will have a strong weekend and which ones will struggle. The field has been divided into two parts, with three teams comprising the frontrunners while the rest jostle it out in the midfield.
Coming to the 2022 F1 Austrian GP, some teams have momentum on their sides while others are on the back foot and in a position where a turnaround is a necessity for them. These teams will be desperate to put together a strong result this weekend. In this feature, let’s take a look at some of them.
#3 Aston Martin F1
Aston Martin was able to secure another points finish with Sebastian Vettel at Silverstone. That, however, does not hide the fact that the drivers struggled like anything in qualifying and were eliminated once again in Q1. The Enstone-based squad has turned its season around ever since Vettel joined the team. Be it the result in Imola where the German drove out of his skin to secure a points finish or be it Baku where he could display the upgraded Aston Martin’s strengths, the team has certainly improved as compared to the start of the season.
Having said that, if Aston Martin wants to continue to have the services of Sebastian Vettel, it needs to do better. A good weekend followed by a bad one won’t do for the German. What would be continuous improvement on the car that helps the team bridge the gap to the front of the midfield.
Silverstone was a good foundation for the team. At the 2022 F1 Austrian GP, Aston Martin needs to build on this foundation and put together a strong showing once again this weekend.
#2 McLaren
McLaren has been somewhat caught out by the progress of rival Alpine has been making this season. The team has an erratic car that is either at the top of the midfield on the tracks where it works or is completely buried within the midfield when the layout doesn’t suit the car.
Despite this, the team has been able to keep a hold of the 4th position in the constructor’s championship with Lando Norris’ brilliance. Alpine, however, is coming strong too. It was as good as McLaren at Silverstone, a track where the Woking-based outfit was supposed to excel. To add to this, Alpine has both drivers producing strong results as compared to only one at McLaren.
The layout of the Red Bull Ring, on paper, is not expected to be one where McLaren has excelled this season. In essence, it is the kind of track where teams like Alpine and Aston Martin shine. This is exactly why McLaren needs to break the chain at the 2022 F1 Austrian GP. This weekend, McLaren will be desperate to prove that it has resolved the erratic nature of its car and that the machinery can perform on all kinds of tracks.
#1 Ferrari
Yes, Ferrari scored the P1-P4 result at the 2022 F1 British GP. Yes, the team closed down the gap in both F1 championships. The right driver, however, did not win the race. The team made it much harder for itself to win than it needed to be and most importantly, it wasted the opportunity to maximize its results when Red Bull struggled to string together a strong race.
Mattia Binotto might have appeared happy and content that his team was able to win one after a gap of 6 races, but even he would know that Ferrari needs to do better. Red Bull is not a team that makes mistakes or has off-days either.
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Most importantly, Ferrari will be in Red Bull’s backyard this weekend. It’s at a venue where Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been dominant over the years. So with the championship in mind, this is the race where Maranello has to hit Milton Keynes where it hurts them the most. Ferrari will be desperate to make a decisive move against Red Bull and what better place than the Red Bull Ring to make that happen.
