Lewis Hamilton taking his first victory with Ferrari was a huge deal for all parties involved: Hamilton, Ferrari, and also Formula 1 as a sport. But as good as that moment was, that’s in the past now, and it’s time to focus on the eighth round of the championship.
The circus is now landing in Austria, where we’ll get to really see if there’s a chink in Mercedes’ armor that’ll have bigger consequences in the championship fight, or if the failures from Canada and Spain were purely bad luck. Likewise, do Ferrari and Hamilton really have the package to apply pressure at the front of the field and compete for victories, or was their win two weeks ago purely consequential?
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli leads the seven-time world champion by 41 points, while George Russell is nine points behind his former teammate. A Mercedes driver is still the favorite to win this weekend, with the odds leaning in Antonelli’s favor, but it’d be silly to rule out Russell. Also, Ferrari hasn’t had the best results at the Red Bull track, with its last win coming in 2022, with Leclerc at the wheel. Before that, it was 2002, though largely because of the track’s absence from the F1 calendar.
Over the last two to three races, we’ve also seen improved performance from Red Bull, and not just from Max Verstappen. Likewise, the fight for third through 10th seems to be bringing the most action lately, with several drivers and teams vying for that last step on the podium and solid championship points. As it stands, we could see anyone from McLaren to Alpine in third, and then a combination of Racing Bulls, Haas, and maybe even Audi sneaking into those last points-paying positions.
Who’s your money on?