Max Verstappen attracted headlines at the Austrian Grand Prix for his controversial defensive move on Lando Norris, but there is another factor in the aftermath this is overlooked.
When Verstappen pitted to repair the front wing and tyre damage, Red Bull had to fit a set of used soft tyres to his car instead of a new set of tyres.
This is because the Dutchman had used a set of soft tyres for his final run in qualifying to set his pole lap, despite already setting a time that was good enough for provisional pole.
If he didn’t use the extra set, it is likely that he could have caught Lewis Hamilton for fourth place and set the fastest lap for the extra points.
Using the extra set of tyres did give him an advantage over Lando Norris in the shootout for pole, but Peter Windsor pointed out another factor to his lap that should not be forgotten when speaking on the Cameron F1 podcast.
Max Verstappen’s ‘unbelievably impressive’ Austrian GP pole lap
Windsor notes a key trait of Verstappen’s pole lap taken from three-time F1 world champion Jackie Stewart through the sweeping Turns 7 and 8 sections of the Red Bull Ring.
“We should be talking about what he was doing in sector three in qualifying. For me it was Turns 7 and 8, the transition from left to right. He’s something like 5kph quicker than George Russell through there and he’s in a taller gear on the same part of track, which is unbelievably impressive.
“That’s all part of the Jackie Stewart thing; if in doubt put the car in a higher gear and let it settle. That’s what Max was doing so beautifully there and that should not be forgotten.”
GPS data from Verstappen’s pole lap show that he did gain half a tenth alone compared to Norris through this section of the lap, with that also continuing into the race.
How Max Verstappen could have avoided Lando Norris crash
Regardless of catching Hamilton at the end of the race, Verstappen could have avoided his clash with Norris if he was informed of the time penalty picked up by the Briton for exceeding track limits.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko felt the team should have informed him of the imminent penalty for Norris, while Windsor noted that the FIA stewards took too long to inform the team despite it being an obvious offence.
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The collision cost Verstappen 15 points in the Drivers’ Championship and although he is 81 points ahead of Norris, in the battle for Constructors’ Red Bull only sits 87 points behind McLaren.
As they appear to have produced the fastest car in recent races, that gap is only going to shrink as Norris challenges for more wins and Oscar Piastri proves to be a more consistent driver than Sergio Perez.
The post ‘Should be talking’: F1 expert highlights ‘impressive’ Jackie Stewart trait in Max Verstappen at Austrian GP appeared first on F1 Oversteer.