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    2023 RACE REVIEW

    The Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg went well for Scuderia Ferrari with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing second and sixth respectively. It was the Maranello marque’s 800th Formula 1 podium, the 26th for the Monegasque drivers. But most importantly, the performance in the Styrian hills confirmed the progress seen a fortnight ago in Canada.
    Track Temperature31 °C
    Humidity36 %
    Air Temperature20 °C
    Wind Speed1 km/h N
    • CHARLES LECLERC
    • Race Result2
    • Fastest Lap1:08.820
    • Pit Stop16.393 s
    • Race Time1:25:38.762
    • Gap from leader+5.155 s
    avg speed
    top speed
    avg speed
    top speed
    • CARLOS SAINZ
    • Race Result6
    • Fastest Lap1:08.880
    • Pit Stop16.380 s
    • Race Time1:26:04.984
    • Gap from leader+21.377 s
    avg speed
    top speed
    avg speed
    top speed
    Tyres
    Charles Leclerc
    N. Pit Stop3
    Total laps71
    pit
    10
    20
    30
    40
    50
    60
    70
    Race laps
    2
    15
    47
    71
    Percentage set used
    Hard
    66 %
    Soft
    34 %
    CARLOS SAINZ
    N. Pit Stop3
    Total laps71
    pit
    10
    20
    30
    40
    50
    Total laps
    2
    15
    45
    71
    Percentage set used
    Hard
    63 %
    Soft
    37 %
    “
    Today’s strong result for the team, added to yesterday’s podium with Carlos,
    proves we are working in the right direction. If we look back, we had a good race in Canada and today we confirmed the progress made on a completely different track layout with a different surface. We still need to make another step forward if we want to fight with Red Bull and we are working hard to achieve that. Charles drove very well today and I think he would have been probably safe from the attacks from Perez towards the end. However Carlos also played his part, fighting Checo making him lose time. Now we go immediately to Silverstone, on another completely different track on which we’ll need to confirm our current form to keep fighting with Mercedes and Aston Martin. We are doing a good job both on track and in Maranello, we will bring more upgrades in the UK and we want to keep fighting in what I think will be a long battle all the way to the end of the season.
    Frédéric Vasseur
    “
    It’s good to be back on the podium.
    Friday and today we maximised what we have and the upgrades we introduced this weekend worked well. The team has done an excellent job and we will keep pushing in this direction. I also want to thank Carlos as he made my life a bit easier by putting up a great defence against Checo. I was watching on the big screen, it was very exciting! Now we go to Silverstone which, with Spielberg, is among my favourite circuits. Hopefully we can take advantage of the new upgrades we have on the car again and offer a bit more of a challenge to Red Bull in the next round.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    “
    It was a very solid race even though I’m not happy
    with the final result, as I think we deserved a double podium today. I felt very quick and comfortable with the car but after the first stop the race was compromised as we lost time and positions. I did my best to push hard and recover, with some good overtaking, but unfortunately I received the penalty for track limits. In the end I tried absolutely everything to defend from Checo but couldn't hold on to that place on the podium. There are some things to review, but in general we have to be happy with the progress made and we need to keep pushing in this direction.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    CARLOS SAINZ SPRINT SESSION
    POSITION
    3
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +23.088 s
    FASTEST LAP
    1:15.457
    CHARLES LECLERC SPRINT SESSION
    POSITION
    12
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +50.789 s
    FASTEST LAP
    1:10.686
    “
    It wasn’t an easy Saturday but I’m happy to be P3 today
    after how hectic the start of the day had been, with a brake issue in SQ1 and having only one lap to progress to SQ2! I would have loved to have that set of new Softs in SQ3 but, considering everything, qualifying P5 wasn’t too bad. Then the wet Sprint race was also very challenging. The car was tricky in the high speed sections, but we managed to bring home this third place, which I think was the maximum today. Now all our focus is on tomorrow, where I hope we can confirm the good step forward we have made as a team and bring home a good result.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    “
    There is a lot of work I need to do to be better in these conditions.
    At least, that is the case on my side of the garage, as Carlos did well. We were on slicks but the track was only partly dry and I couldn’t get a feel for it, I can’t get the car in the right window and I am so far off the pace. I really struggle to drive the car and don’t feel confident with it and that is reflected in my performance. We need to focus on this from my side, for me to understand why it’s not working in these conditions. It’s not a question of strategy, it’s just down to my pace. It might have seemed like a good fight with Ocon, but honestly, fighting down there is not what interests me. I need to make a step forward in these conditions. For tomorrow, I believe we can be strong if it’s dry, maybe not as strong as Red Bull, but we can still do something good.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    CARLOS SAINZ SPRINT SHOOTOUT
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:06.187
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:05.434
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:05.136
    POSITION
    5
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.696 s
    CHARLES LECLERC SPRINT SHOOTOUT
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:07.061
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:05.673
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:05.245
    POSITION
    6
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.805 s
    CHARLES LECLERC QUALIFYING SESSIONS
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:05.577
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:05.087
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:04.439
    POSITION
    2
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.048 s
    CARLOS SAINZ QUALIFYING SESSIONS
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:05.339
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:04.975
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:04.581
    POSITION
    3
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.190 s
    “
    It feels good to finally have a clean qualifying again
    and to be back on the front row. The feeling from the car has been a bit better in the last three races and then in Q1 and Q2, it was all about building up to that lap in Q3 and I managed to put everything into that last lap and got very close to Max. We hadn’t expected to be that close to the Red Bull so it’s a good step forward and I would like to thank everyone back at the factory for all the work they have done in the last few weeks in order to bring an update package at Spielberg, earlier than planned. It’s really impressive and helped us to perform well today. Now we need to confirm that in the races, tomorrow and Sunday. Starting from the Sprint we need to focus on consistency and we will see on Sunday if we have the same race pace as in Montreal.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    “
    Overall it was a positive day for me and the team,
    as we will be starting P2 and P3 on Sunday. The car felt strong all day and I was fast from the very beginning, which is always a positive sign. We don’t really know how our pace compares to the others, but I’m really looking forward to racing tomorrow and Sunday. Despite this good result, I think we should work together with the FIA to find alternative ways to decide track limits quicker and more efficiently. I had a good lap on my first attempt in Q2 and I was already preparing for Q3 when we had to go out again since there were doubts about my lap. This meant I had to use the extra set of Softs we had saved for the Sprint qualifying tomorrow and it could have been avoided, as my lap was not deleted.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    Carlos Sainz Practice sessions
    FP1 - POSITION: 2
    1:05.983
    Charles Leclerc Practice sessions
    FP1 - POSITION: 3
    1:06.012
    Sectors
    Turns
    Max Speed
    DRS
    • LocationSpielberg
    • First GP2016
    • Circuit length4.318 km
    • Race Distance306.452 km
    • Laps71
    • Lap Record1:05.619Carlos Sainz (2020)
    Spielberg Circuit

    The track has risen from the ashes of the old Osterreichring, but drastically shortened and modified. The steep climb to the first corner is not as long as it used to be. Then, after it peels off to the right comes a straight that joins the old track with an abrupt hairpin with a steep climb. Other major changes were made to the two left handers which lead to the Texaco Schikane. The final corner, a double apex, is now a dogleg, to allow for a decent run-off area on the outside. It’s a very short track, just 4.318 kilometres in length and requires plenty of power and traction. Ferrari has won five times in Austria: Lorenzo Bandini won on the L-shaped Zeltweg circuit in 1964, Jacky Ickx did it at the old Osterreichring, while the first to win on the new track was Eddie Irvine in 1999. Michael Schumacher was victorious in 2002 and 2003.

    Turn 2

    This corner is particularly demanding with an uphill braking point. It was here in 1999 that team-mates Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard collided, leaving the way clear for Eddie Irvine to win for Ferrari.

    Pit lane (or finish line)

    In 2003, victory came courtesy of Michael Schumacher and the pit crew displaying nerves of steel. At the pit stop, the Ferrari caught fire, but the German sat impassive in the cockpit while the mechanics put out the flames. Michael rejoined third and went on to win.

    • 5
      RACE WINS
    • 8
      POLE POSITIONS
    • 5
      FASTEST LAPS
    • 27
      PODIUMS
    yearyeardriver
    1964Bandini158
    1970Ickx312 B
    1999IrvineF399
    2002SchumacherF2002
    2003SchumacherF2003 - GA