1. Wow, good thing Mercedes has Valtteri Bottas.
I am, of course, trolling, but it was big for the team that Bottas managed to get that second place finish.
2. Max Verstappen loves Austria.
Styria, Austria, Europe…all belong to Max Verstappen now.
3. What’s up with Lewis Hamilton?
I thought he was unstoppable.
4. Is Lando Norris going to jump to a stronger team?
The only stronger teams are Red Bull and Mercedes, right? And those teams are locked up with Hamilton/Russell/Verstappen/Pérez? So is Norris at McLaren for a while? I like the sound of that.
5. F1 has too many rules but at the same time it’s awesome that they have eleven drivers from a twenty-man race all having to talk to the principal.
Those five-second penalties are, objectively, lame (unless they’re for safety in which case hey guys I’m not gonna be anti-safety here), but also, having enough rules that half the field gets in trouble at the end and it’s the back end like the untalented kids in the family misbehaving while their sterling older brother, Max Verstappen, gets all the attention is, objectively, hilarious.
6. Are you ready for Great Britain?
No, don’t worry, not a Fourth of July thing. They’re just driving in Great Britain in two weeks. We’ve got some time.
A few responsive thoughts.
2. Verstappen is absolutely en fuego. Mercedes are firmly on the outside looking in. That being said, Max and Red Bull got a huge boost by virtue of the fact that Austria hosted a doubleheader. Mercedes have never really been strong around the Red Bull Ring. Let’s not count Hamilton and the Silver Arrows out just yet.
4. Earlier this season, Norris signed a contract extension with McLaren. He’ll remain with the team at least through the end of 2023. I think it was absolutely the best decision he could have made. It appears that Mercedes are holding Bottas’s seat for Russell, so Norris couldn’t go there. And Red Bull typically look to their own stable of drivers (with AlphaTauri and their other development teams) for talent. Of course, they made an exception to this rule when they brought Sergio Perez in. However, I think they’ll return to their usual practice once Checo decides to retire/move on.
McLaren is just a great fit for him. Plus, thanks to the recent investment they’ve received, the fantastic engineering and technical talent they’ve brought on board, and the massive rule changes set to take effect next season, the gap separating Mercedes/Red Bull and the rest of the field (McLaren included) is likely shrinking. Now, will the path for McLaren be easy? Absolutely not. Will Mercedes and Red Bull still find paths to domination once the new rules come into effect? Absolutely. But McLaren really does have it all to play for in the coming new F1 era.
5. Yeah, there were some pretty lame penalties during the race. I’m biased, of course, but Norris’s five second penalty arising out of his duel with Perez was just ridiculous. F1 should be doing everything they can to encourage “elbows out” racing.
Appreciate the insight, as always. Love that for The Milkman.
there was 100% too little mention of the King of F1, Danny Ric.