2024 Austrian GP Qualifying Preview & Tips – JP
2024 Austrian GP Qualifying Update
Now, it is time for James Punt’s 2024 Austrian GP Qualifying preview. Lando Norris fluffed his lines in the Sprint Race, hopefully he can bounce back.
2024 Austrian GP Qualifying
We had the dress rehearsal yesterday, so is there any reason to think today’s qualifying will produce anything different? Not really.
The parc ferme re-opens for the race qualifying, so the teams can make changes to the car. Anyone that is happy with their set up won’t do anything, those that struggled will look for a solution. They will have had the simulators running back at the factory overnight, so we might see a few improvements, but the cars at the front are unlikely to need to do much.
The Red Bull, sorry, Max Verstappen, has been the faster car by a very small margin. McLaren are pretty much on the same pace. Norris is not feeling well, which is a negative. He got within 0.01 seconds in yesterday’s qualifying and he is in with a shout of pole position.
Piastri was third in yesterday’s sprint qualifying and he has room to improve, but he is 3-7 in qualifying with Norris in 2024. That said, he has been top 3 in every session so far, second place twice.
Verstappen V Norris?
Another H2H for Verstappen and Norris, but has Verstappen winded Norris after the sprint race? Norris was able to make a good pass on Verstappen to take the lead, but then made what he correctly called an amateur’s mistake at the next corner, leaving the door wide open for Verstappen to repass him. What was even worse was that he also let his teammate past, and that was that.
Norris now has to pick himself up, feeling like shit health wise, and go again. It doesn’t sound very encouraging.
Mercedes were 0.368 off Verstappen’s pace in yesterday’s qualifying, and on a short lap like this, that is a big gap. Hamilton looks a bit huffy again, Russell looks to be their man this weekend. Ferrari are a little further off the pace than Mercedes.
Max Too Short
Verstappen is the 1.57 favourite to get pole, too short given how close it is with McLaren. Norris is a tempting 4.00, Piastri 13.00.
I am going skint backing Norris. He is just not quite executing things as he needs to. I think Verstappen knows that he is getting to Norris mentally, but he is still going to have be at 100% if he is to get pole.
The question is, do we go again on Norris, or just leave him alone, and expect Verstappen to get the better of him again?
With Verstappen’s vice like grip on pole having slipped in recent races, he may be worth opposing, but it looks like only McLaren can stop him on this track.
Piastri makes some appeal at 13.00. He has had two front rows in the last four race weekends and his performance today will have put a little spring in his step. He has the car to do the job, he was just 0.03 off the pole time yesterday, and I’ll have a go with the other McLaren today.
2024 Austrian GP Qualifying Tip: 0.5 point e/w Oscar Piastri to be the fastest qualifier @ 13.00 with Ladbrokes
We got a nice winner with the winning margin being under 0.1 seconds yesterday at 2.63, but the best odds for a repeat today are just 1.90. Arguably, that is still a touch generous but obviously, the real value has left town in that market.
Looking at the various match bets, there isn’t much of interest. The bookies are wise to the form as we have already had a qualifying session on the same track, and in much the same conditions.
One driver who underperformed yesterday was Nico Hulkenberg. Usually the lead Haas in qualifying (7-3 up), he was eliminated in Q1 while Magnussen ended up in eleventh.
The car has decent pace and surely The Hulk can get more out of his one lap pace today. The Haas looks to have over a tenth on the Visa RB here, and so long as he can get a clean, error free lap in, that should be enough to beat the struggling Visa RBs.
