Grand Prix 2024 Spanish, Austrian, and British Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

This weekend see the start of a "triple header" of F1 races, starting at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain, then on to the Red Bull Ring, for the Austrian Grand Prix on 30th June, and ending at Silverstone, for the British Grand Prix, on the 7th July. This will test the stamina of the team personnel, especially if we have a repeat of the start to the Austrian GP in 1987, where it took the grid three goes to make it past the first corner.

The third restart was nearly two hours after the race was supposed to start. You can imagine nowadays that the TV companies would be briefing their legal team, ready to sue the drivers for interrupting their schedule.

Spain is not usually too exciting, but let's not put the cart before the horse, it may surprise us. And testing was in Bahrain (wasn't it?), so the teams don't have mountains of data to tell them how to set the car up. McLaren have found some pace, and on the right circuit the Ferrari's look quick. Even Mercedes claim to have found some speed in their car, although none are, as yet, quite as fast the the Red Bull in Max Verstappen's hands. Here are the times for the Spanish race (BST), which for some reason F1.com insist on listing in reverse date order .

Austria has a Sprint race, so only one practice session on Friday

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There is no Sprint race at Silverstone this year.

If, like me, your significant other is not a great sports fan the next few weeks will be punctuated with comments such as "I can't believe your watching Afghanistan versus India" or "do you really need to watch Georgia versus Ukraine?". Need, no. Want, yes.

So sit back, fill a glass with whatever beverage is your choice, and enjoy numerous multi-millionaires getting aggy because they haven't won.

 

[Il_leone]

Meh, probably felt a pinch more entertaining than it actually was.

Poor start from Lando, great start from Russell.

Russell then went on to bugger everyone else's race up and that was that.

It does show though that being able to lean on your tyres all the time or having to protect your tyres and then push makes very little difference. The result will still be the same.

There simply isn't a way of creating a pace differential between cars that are only a tenth apart in qually that will allow a race to be long enough for a wheel to wheel battle at the front. With 16 laps to go, Norris needed to find half a second a lap to give him a couple of cracks at Verstappen.

Max controlled the pace at the front and that was that.

I wonder if it was Hamilton in that Mclaren whether the result would have been different

Ferrari a bit off again next few races will be telling if they can come back

 

[F1Brits_90]

as spanish GPs go that was 1 of the most entertaining. as its normally the worst race of the season. but what a race we couldve had, if russell hadnt had such a great start & take the lead, he funnily enough did the job that perez is supposed to do. as he took the lead held everyone up behind that was faster & let max get the gap he needed to win the race

 

[cider_and_toast]

As Lando and Verstappen chatted about in the waiting room after the race, Verstappen cleared the mobile chicane that was George Russell in 1 lap, Norris couldn't do it in five laps. That was the difference.

Also, Norris backed out of the three way squeeze for the first corner. Had Hamilton, Verstappen or even Alonso been the middle car they would have just kept their boot in and hopefully had all four wheels on the grey stuff coming out of turn two and no bits missing.

 

[F1Brits_90]

very true but i guess when your in your 1st season poles & going for wins. you cant gain that expierence quickly

 

[Il_leone]

As Lando and Verstappen chatted about in the waiting room after the race, Verstappen cleared the mobile chicane that was George Russell in 1 lap, Norris couldn't do it in five laps. That was the difference.

Also, Norris backed out of the three way squeeze for the first corner. Had Hamilton, Verstappen or even Alonso been the middle car they would have just kept their boot in and hopefully had all four wheels on the grey stuff coming out of turn two and no bits missing.

I was saying Norris need to not give Verstappen an inch if he was to win at the start. That made the difference.
I thought Russell's defence was not very robust given he sort of opened the door for Verstapoen

 

[F1Brits_90]

you know in the cool down room i found it fasinating that Norris & Verstappen were saying we both slowed each other down

 

[Hamberg]

very true but i guess when your in your 1st season poles & going for wins. you cant gain that expierence quickly

That’s not experience, that’s instinct.

 

[F1Brits_90]

That’s not experience, that’s instinct.

you could say verstappen learnt it as he was very crash prone in similar stage of his career

 

[Il_leone]

you know in the cool down room i found it fasinating that Norris & Verstappen were saying we both slowed each other down

Interesting its "We" not "You". Norris needs to step it up if he wants to challenge Verstappen and right now he is the main challenger until Ferrari sort themselves out again and it looks like Leclerc is going to get 100% support after today

 

[P1]

I wonder if it was Hamilton in that Mclaren whether the result would have been different

Ferrari a bit off again next few races will be telling if they can come back

I think so. Hamilton or at least 2021 Hamilton would have got the job done. I think 2024 Hamilton would have too.

 

[FB]

I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I dozed off a couple of times.

 

[F1Brits_90]

for the typically worst race of the season, & its a very low bar but it was 1 of the best spanish races in its history. of dry races i can only think of 2000 with Hakkinen DNF on final Lap, 2012 with Maldonado, 2016 with Max 1st win & 2021 with Hamilton hunting down Verstappen

i have got to give verstappen credit. what he is doing is very impressive, it feels very reminstent of what lewis was doing between 2017 - 2019 the car was 2nd best or Equal fastest, but its gone from the reason for win going from car to driver, because yes he on paper winning alot but for me he is outperforming a very good car