Formula 1. Austrian Grand Prix Prediction: Sainz To Fight For A Spot In Top-3

Last weekend, Carlos Sainz Jr. took first place on the podium, Max Verstappen was not even in the top 5, and Sergio Perez came in second. What events does Formula 1 have in store for us this time around? What's the best bet? Let’s find out!

Last weekend didn't go well for one of Red Bull's two pilots, to put it mildly. Max Verstappen made a serious mistake and crossed the finish line only seventh. However, if the Dutchman can't, the Mexican will cover. Sergio Perez still helped the Bulls earn points by finishing second on the podium.

Ferrari still has a chance of a comeback in the World Constructors' Championship. In the British Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz brought the team the maximum number of points, ahead of second Sergio Perez by almost four seconds. But Charles Leclerc wasn't able to shine. Monegasque took only fourth position, lagging behind third Lewis Hamilton by two and a half seconds.

At the moment the situation in the World Constructors' Championship is as follows: Red Bull leads with a solid margin of 63 points from the inferior Ferrari. Mercedes sits third, and in principle, they do not count on anything this season. As for personal scoring, Sergio Perez is reducing the gap from his teammate. Now the difference between them is 44 points. Charles Leclerc is third in the table with 136 points.

The teams have already qualified at the Red Bull Ring. As expected, Max Verstappen earned the pole position with his best result of 1:04.984. Second place in the race went to Charles Leclerc and third to Carlos Sainz. By the way, Verstappen was again the fastest in Friday practice, running his best lap in 1:06.302.

"It was a very long wait between the two runs and that's never great. Once you're in the rhythm, it's nice to just keep on going. In addition, the temperature of the track was dropping, the wind was changing, and as a result the fight in qualifying was very fierce. There aren’t that many corners, but the corners you have are quite tricky, it’s really easy to make a mistake. But of course, very happy with pole; but I also know that tomorrow and Sunday, you can get the points. I think we have a great car. Qualifying is usually not our strongest suit and now I just hope I can get a good start tomorrow and get through Turn 1 without any problems. Then anything can happen, but I have confidence in the car. It's incredible to see the crowd here and see so much orange and the support I get now for a few years already here. It definitely brings a smile on my face and I hope we can make it a great weekend."

Max Verstappen

"When you look back, and you see how close it is, you go back to the lap and find places where you've left that tenth of a second that could have given us pole. But I'm sure these two guys ahead of me also know more or less where they lost it or where they gained it. The good thing is that we put a good lap there at the end of Q3, which wasn't easy because the tyres were very cold after the red flag. Trusting the car into Turn 1, into Turn 3 wasn't the easiest. I know where the lap time is. I just wish I could have done it a little bit better. Anyway, I'm happy with third place and the fact that I'm so close to the two leaders. I'm going to fight with them – I feel much more confident in the car compared to a few stages ago. We still have some work to do tomorrow, but it's good that we'll have a second practice session where we can evaluate the speed on the long series. In the sprint, I'll start on the clean side of the track – a good position to compete. There will be a lot of overtaking on the track thanks to slipstreams. We have everything we need to have a good weekend."

Carlos Sainz Jr.

Max Verstappen is the clear favorite for the race, and the odds on his victory are too low. However, we have no doubts about his winning. We also want to point out Carlos Sainz, who has been improving lately. The Ferrari's pilot looked good last weekend, plus he'll be starting third this weekend, which will give him a distinct advantage. All in all, we suggest betting on the Spaniard to get a place in top three for pretty good odds.

Prediction: Carlos Sainz Jr. To Finish In Top-3.

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