Free practice results for the 2024 Austrian GP

Before we start the GP weekend in Austria, we first take a lap in the transfer mill. Pierre Gasly has extended his contract with Alpine until ‘2025 and later’. In addition, Lance Stroll is allowed by his father to play teammate for Fernando Alonso for another year. There, you know that now. Now let’s take a look at the action on the track during the free practice in Austria.

The big change compared to last year is that an extra gravel trap has been constructed along six of the ten bends. This should prevent drivers from going off the track to gain an advantage. It also ensures that the race management can better see whether or not a car is coloring within the lines. Last year the stewards needed five hours to check more than 1,200 moments.

Teams and drivers are looking for the right setting

The current sprint format only involves one training session. The drivers spend a lot of time on the track to collect as much data as possible. This also applies to Max Verstappen. After his first few laps he comes in for a front wing adjustment. After one push round with the changed nose, Verstappen is clear: “This is not good”. In addition, the Red Bull is suffering from imperfections, not for the first time this season. “The bumps are very bad to drive on,” says the driver.

After a short break, Verstappen comes out again. ‘Pay attention to what we just discussed in the pit box, Max’, says engineer Lambiase. Unfortunately, we were not able to listen to what was discussed there. What we do see is that Verstappen drives several laps in a row without cooling down. It goes wrong on his third lap.

Verstappen has an engine problem

On the way to the penultimate corner, Verstappen changes his steering wheel a bit, steers into the ninth corner a little later and gets an error message on his steering wheel. ‘Engine fault’, the car communicates. The V6 engine also suddenly sounds like a creaking filter coffee machine. The Red Bull slowly comes to a stop on the straight and then rolls back towards the starting line. Verstappen says he made a change to the differential just before the engine started to struggle.

The red flag is waved to get Verstappen out safely. Because he is standing in a favorable spot, Red Bull mechanics can push the car to the pits. Because it is not the marshals, but the Red Bull staff who bring the car back, Verstappen’s training is not over yet. A quick CTRL-Alt-Delete for the V6 and in no time the engine is running again and Verstappen can go outside. He may lose a few minutes.

The question is whether the engine needs to be replaced. In the case of a new combustion engine, Verstappen will receive a grid penalty. Verstappen and his team report no problems in the subsequent laps, making everything seem like cake and egg again. Because as soon as Verstappen gets on the soft tire, he drives the fastest lap of the free practice in Austria.