After every Formula 1 race, driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shares his observations in an exclusive column. Who or what caught his attention, what went well, and what needs to change? This time, after the Austrian Grand Prix: On Max Verstappen‘s body language, the chances of him leaving Red Bull, the mental boosts for Lando Norris and Liam Lawson, and the potential of Gabriel Bortoleto.
Let’s start at the beginning: Max Verstappen’s retirement from the race. He was torpedoed yesterday in turn three of the Austrian Grand Prix by Kimi Antonelli. I found Max’s reaction particularly striking.
Max was very calm, even waving to the fans in the stands. Honestly, I’ve never seen him exit so relaxed after a crash, especially during his team’s home race. It was almost as if he didn’t care anymore. I dare to suggest that Max has already somewhat bid farewell to Red Bull Racing.
Toto plays the game smartly
In the days leading up to the race, there was much speculation about Max Verstappen’s sporting future. George Russell indicated that his team boss Toto Wolff had spoken with Max. To be honest, I can see Max’s move to Mercedes happening. A race like yesterday’s in Austria certainly doesn’t help. And Toto is playing the whole game very cleverly. He maintains a good relationship with Max and knows he also needs to be friends with Jos.
Furthermore, it’s crucial how the development of next year’s cars – with the new regulations – is progressing. The Verstappen camp will be keeping a close eye on this. If you want to attract Max to your team, you need to have a good sales manager.
But again, his reaction yesterday after the contact with Antonelli was very telling. He casually walked back to the pits afterwards. Max too realizes that the championship is over and it doesn’t matter much anymore. But I suspect there’s more to it. Because if he has already made a choice for next season, which could well be the case, then in a situation like yesterday’s, you would shrug it off more quickly. After all, you’re moving on.
Nothing more to lose for Max
The debate about Max’s penalty points and the threat of a suspension, at least we’re temporarily rid of that. It means he can take risks in the upcoming races to try and win a race. He has nothing more to lose. The championship is over, if it wasn’t already. And the same goes for the battle for second place.
The title fight is shaping up to be a McLaren showdown between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Norris received a mental boost in Austria, after his clumsy mistake two weeks earlier in Canada when he rear-ended his teammate. In Austria, he did everything right, particularly his qualifying on Saturday was incredible. However, I do think that Piastri could have caught him at certain moments in the race, but strategic choices didn’t turn out very well. And he took one risk too many during a failed overtaking maneuver, where he almost hit Norris and got a flat spot on his tire. He suffered from this in the following laps.
Modern Take on Senna-Prost
The difference between the two is now fifteen points in the World Championship standings, and the gap to the drivers behind them will likely only grow in the upcoming races. This means they will have or get the space to continue racing freely. If that happens, I’m sure they’re going to knock each other off the track at some point! I’m gearing up for a classic McLaren title fight, a modern take on Senna-Prost. That’s an exciting prospect.
Finally, a brief word about the rookies who very much dominated the race yesterday. First, the action of Antonelli, who simply made a stupid mistake, probably due to a lack of experience. He was actually startled by the braking of the car in front of him, causing him to swerve, brake too late, and consequently lock up the rear. It cost both him and Max the race. Let’s hope he learns from this. I do think he’s been driving quite steadily this season, but this was a negative outlier.
Lawson and Bortoleto
I also thought Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto drove strongly, finishing in sixth and eighth place respectively. For Lawson, his performance is a great boost after a difficult period. You can now see that Lawson in the Racing Bulls is just as good as Yuki Tsunoda earlier this season, and that Tsunoda in the Red Bull is just as bad as Lawson at the beginning of the year. It seems that the car at Red Bull is incredibly complex and that only Max has mastered it. I’m secretly very curious to see what Max could achieve if you were to put him in a Sauber, for example. If Bortoleto can already drive to an eighth place in it, it seems to me that Max should be able to get even more out of it.
By the way, I’ve been impressed with Bortoleto for a while now. The boy has pure speed, which he has also shown in Formula 2. In that respect, he appeals to me more than someone like Franco Colapinto. Many people are fans of him, but I see him more as a ‘dime a dozen’ driver.
In general, you can see that all drivers on the grid are close in terms of level. Most rookies also have the speed. But the art is mainly to be complete, and not everyone is given that. But let’s not forget, it’s precisely the mistakes that make Formula 1 fun to watch.
