2021 FORMULA 1 STYRIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Whatare the main takeaways from last weekend’s French Grand Prix?

Weleft France a bit disappointed with Fernando in eighth place and Estebanoutside the points as we felt we had the pace to score bigger points. The racewas all about tyre management and it impacted teams and even drivers within thesame teams in a very different way. Esteban’s race was more or less over afterheavy graining compromised his first stint, while Fernando tip-toed on hisstarting set of Mediums and managed to keep his Hards alive to regain positionsand put on a great fight for sixth place. He’s definitely gained a lot ofconfidence in the car and is back at a very high level of competitiveness.

Whatare the main challenges of Spielberg?

Austriais a short track with only nine corners, which means that gaps in qualifyingare very small and every hundredth of a second can make a difference. A lot ofthe lap is spent at full throttle with most of the sectors medium tohigh-speed. The kerbs are big there and can be punishing for the bodywork andsuspension. On top of all this, it’s a bit harder on tyres than France so thatis something to be wary of after last weekend.

We’veseen in the past that the weather in Austria at this time of the year can betricky to predict as well. It’s usually one of the warmest races on thecalendar but storms are frequent as well. Last year in Austria we had a wetqualifying, so we’ll keep a close eye on the weather radar for the wholeweekend.

Whatare the team’s expectations for this weekend?

Inthe past it’s not been the team’s strongest circuit, but we have addressed alot of our previous issues last year and this is not a circuit we fear anymore.We are determined to build on the promising pace we showed in France last weekand return to having both cars in Q3 and both cars well inside the points.

AwesomeAustria

Aftera long and challenging race in France, Esteban Ocon heads to the hills ofAustria for this weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix. The Frenchman is motivated towork his way back into the points at the picturesque Spielberg circuit.

Whatdo you like about Spielberg?

Austriais quite a unique circuit especially with its location in the hills. I reallylike that, though, as it’s not where you’d expect to have a racetrack! It’s areally beautiful location, so to spend two weeks there is always nice. I havesome good memories at this track as it’s where I had one of my first podiumsback in Formula Renault in 2012. Last year too, I had my best qualifying withthe team in the wet, which was a lot of fun. Hopefully there are some more nicememories for us to make there.

Howchallenging is a lap?

Whileit’s a short lap, just over one-minute, it places a focus on extractingeverything from the car and getting every corner right. There are nine corners,which might sound easy as it’s less to learn, but actually everything has to bemaximised. Small details are crucial to doing well in Austria. My favouritepart of the lap is the double left-hander at Turns 6 and 7. They’re prettyquick and very enjoyable when you get them right.

Whatdo you remember from last year’s event when racing returned?

Lastyear’s double header in Austria was very memorable as it marked the time Ireturned to racing in Formula 1 and also the first race in 2020 after the delaywith Covid. One thing that will be different this time around is that we’llhave fans in Austria and that’s exciting. Having fans in the grandstands, likein France, brings a whole new level of atmosphere and a real buzz. I reallyenjoy that, and I look forward to seeing the fans again this weekend.

Howdo you reflect on the French Grand Prix?

Iwas disappointed with the race in France. We just couldn’t get into a rhythm inthe race, especially on the first stint with the Hard tyres. It was very difficultto manage and it gives us some thinking to do to make sure we’re not in asimilar situation this weekend. Tyres have been a key area in Austria in thepast years, so we have some preparation to do this weekend to make sure we’reback in the points. I’m certainly motivated and ready for the challenge.

Momentum

FernandoAlonso heads to Austria for the second race of Formula 1’s first triple headerthis year, following an eighth-place finish at the French Grand Prix lastweekend.

Itis your eighth visit to Austria in Formula 1, what are your thoughts headinginto the weekend?

It’san exciting track to race on with lots of big elevation changes and high-speedcorners. I raced here in the 2000s and again when it returned from 2014 so Ihave quite a bit of experience of the circuit and it hasn’t changed much. Thereare some good overtaking opportunities into turn three and four, so it makesthe weekend quite exciting as you can fight for positions on the Sunday. I likethat it’s back to back with another race as you can try keep the momentum goingfrom the previous round.

Whatwill be the most important factor of the weekend?

Austriais a bit more of a traditional circuit like last weekend, so we don’t expectthe performance levels to differ hugely. However, we need to prepare for allscenarios because you never know and as we saw in France the tyres degradedmuch faster than anyone expected. Also, the weather can be unpredictable inAustria and the races are often quite open, so we need to prepare the right wayand see what we can do.

Youmanaged a second points finish in a row at the French Grand Prix, how do youreflect on a busy home Grand Prix for the team?

Wellit was a good weekend for us and we showed that our performance on Saturday andSunday was more consistent with what we’ve already seen at circuits likePortugal. What we experienced at Monaco and Baku was a bit unique, so we canlook at the rest of the season with confidence. I had a good race and found theHard tyres performed well. I was quite concerned after the first stint on theMediums, but I think it was the same for most of the field and we just had tomanage that a little and plan our strategy well. I want to carry on themomentum from the last two races, so we’ll be aiming for another points finishhere in Austria.

Tyres:

Hard,C2 (White)

Esteban – 2

Fernando - 2

Medium,C3 (Yellow)

Esteban – 3

Fernando - 3

Soft,C4 (Red)

Esteban– 8

Fernando– 8

Esteban Ocon

Starts - 4

Points - 16

Average Points – 4

Fastest Qualifying – 1:04.643 (2020)

Fastest Lap – 1:08.659 (2017)

Best Finish – 6^th (2018)

Best Grid Position – 5^th (2020)

Fernando Alonso

Starts - 7

Points – 14

Average Points – 2

Fastest Qualifying – 1:05.058(2018)

Fastest Lap – 1:08.661(2018)

Best Finish – 5^th(2014)

Best Grid Position – 4^th(2014)

Renault-powered cars in Austria

Starts - 96

Wins - 4

Podiums - 10

Pole Positions - 5

Fastest Laps - 6

Total points - 196

Last season’s team result

Ricciardo

Grid – 10^thRace – DNF

Grid (Styria) – 8^th

Race– 8^th

Ocon

Grid – 14^th

Race – 8^th

Grid(Styria) – 5^th
Race - DNF