Red Bull will be looking to extend their winning form and set the stage for a real title challenge to dominant Mercedes when the Grand Prix returns to Austria on Sunday after 11 years.
Fresh from Daniel Ricciardo’s maiden win in Canada two weeks ago, the Austrian team will have home advantage at the Red Bull Ring amid the rolling hills of southern Styria.
However, the 24-year-old Australian still has a large gap to close if he is to catch up with current championship leader Nico Rosberg and his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who stand respectively at 140 and 118 points, to his 79. After taking all first six races of the season — putting them firmly in the lead in the constructors’ standings — Mercedes encountered power problems in Montreal, helping Ricciardo to victory.
This will not happen again, Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff vowed ahead of F1’s return to the historic track at Spielberg: “We will be pushing harder than ever to ensure that we do not give away any more valuable points to our rivals.”
“We know we cannot afford to slip up as our rivals are always there to take advantage,” Rosberg added.
For Red Bull, the 1-3 finish in Montreal was a perfect setup for this weekend’s race. After four back-to-back championship titles thanks to German star Sebastian Vettel, the team struggled this season before traveling to Montreal.
However, Vettel, third in Canada and fifth in the overall standings, was confident that racing on home ground on Sunday “will energise us.”
“I have been looking forward [to this race] since the start of the season. A Grand Prix on the Red Bull Ring is a very special motivation for our team,” he said. “We will fight with all we’ve got to stand on top of the podium.”
Another team to be claiming home advantage will be Toro Rosso — also owned by the Austrian energy drink maker.
“It’s going to be a big weekend for the Red Bull family,” Russia’s Daniil Kvyat said.
Lotus, Caterham and Marussia, on the other hand, will just be hoping to redeem themselves after seeing all their drivers retire in a crash-and-accident-packed race two weeks ago.
“Canada was a kick where it hurts for everyone at the team, but we took stock, identified the issues and have taken action to avoid any repeats,” Lotus deputy team chief Federico Gastaldi said.
Caterham driver Kamui Kobayashi added his team could “benefit a lot from a good weekend” after Montreal’s wash-out.
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