A big race for Red Bull, their second home race and a track owned by company owner Dietrich Mateschitz. So far, since the race returned in 2014, they have been unable to challenge for victory. But this year it could all change, especially with the rain forecast over the weekend.
The soft, supersoft and ultrasoft tyres are available for the teams this weekend, with Ferrari and Renault choosing aggressive strategies. Ferrari have chosen to give their drivers 9 sets of ultrasoft, 3 supersofts and 1 soft. Renault have opted to split strategies, with Palmer identical to the two Ferraris but Magnussen has an additional soft set, with one less supersoft.
Mercedes has also split their tyre selections between their two drivers. Both will have 8 ultrasoft sets, Rosberg will have 4 supersoft sets and a single soft set. Whereas Hamilton has opted for 3 supersofts and 2 softs.
However, thunderstorms forecast over the weekend mean that these tyre selections may not be relevant, as the teams will use the wet weather compounds. Currently, it is looking wet for qualifying and a their is a chance of light rain on the Sunday.
Mercedes
With Rosberg having won here at the previous two Grand Prix, he is hoping to make it three this weekend. However, Hamilton will be hoping to fight back from the disappointment in Sochi after he suffered further engine problems in the race. With 24 points the gap to Rosberg, Hamilton needs a strong, trouble-free weekend if he is to reduce the deficit and prevent his teammate running away with the title. Both drivers will have new power units for the weekend, the last one for Hamilton without penalties due to poor reliability earlier in the season. Therefore, it is highly likely that he will receive grid penalties later in the season, which will further harm his title defense.
Ferrari
Yet to win a race this season so far, Ferrari need to step up their game if they are to challenge Mercedes for the title. Despite the disappointing results, team principal Arrivabene believes that they shouldn’t give up yet: “After eight races I think it is wrong to think of the next year, leaving aside the present…We are approaching the Mercedes, and we must not miss the chance offered in this world championship.”
Kimi Raikkonen has also been told that his place within the team is dependent on his results this season. He needs to step up his game if he is to remain with Ferrari for 2017.
Williams
This is a strong circuit for Williams, with the team having taken pole and 3rd place in 2014 along with another podium last season. Although the challenge from Red Bull and Force India is tougher this year, Williams should be strong here thanks to the high-speed corners and long straights which benefit the FW38. However, the rain forcast over the weekend will make it more challenging but it looks dry for race day.
Red Bull
The home race for Red Bull means that the pressure will be on to succeed this weekend. However, the circuit owned by the company is not well suited to the car’s characteristics – with fast straights and high speed corners. So far, they have been unable to challenge for victories but they will be hoping to change that this year. An upgraded power unit and stronger performance during the season so far should allow them to mount a bigger challenge. However, Williams and Ferrari expect to be competitive here so it will be a tough job for them to challenge for the top positions this weekend.
Force India
With two podiums in the last three races, Perez is hopeful of another strong performance this weekend. Another high speed circuit, Austria should be another successful race for Force India with chances of further podium finishes. Hulkenberg has recently been outperformed by his teammate, so will hope for a strong race with a chance of beating Perez this weekend.
Toro Rosso
With a double DNF in Baku due to suspension failures, Toro Rosso are hoping to turn it around this weekend. After the strong results so far this season, they are confident that they can score points this weekend. Currently they are 5th in the constructors’ championship, but strong results from Force India in 6th means that the gap is closing. They need strong results this weekend if they are to retain the all-important place within the top 5.
Renault
Magnussen had a strong result here in 2014, with McLaren, finishing 6th in the race. He loves the circuit and hopes to have a successful race here this weekend. However, they have struggled to finish within the points so far this weekend but are hoping the Austrian circuit will be more suited to their car than the tracks like Baku, where they struggled a lot for pace.
Sauber
Sauber have struggled with tyre performance and degredation in previous races, unable to get the tyres working in the cooler conditions. Hopefully this weekend they will overcome these issues, which would allow them to fight in the midfield and potentially challenge for their first points of the season.
McLaren
McLaren are optimistic about their chances this weekend, after doing much better than expected in Baku despite the circuit not suiting their car. After a series of upgrades, Honda now believe that their ERS system is now as good as Mercedes’. At a circuit demanding strong ERS performance, they should benefit from this more than rival teams. Therefore they are going into this weekend hopeful of scoring more points to add to their tally.
Manor
A brilliant qualifying performance was followed by a disappointing race for Manor in Baku, after they suffered from turn one incidents and a brake failure. They may struggle here in Austria, as the track requires strong aerodynamic performance, something which they struggle with.
Haas
Warmer temperatures in Austria should help Haas to step up their performance, having struggled to get their tyres up to temperature in cooler conditions. Gutierrez will be looking for his first points of the season this weekend, hoping this track will be more competitive for them.