In the middle of the triple…

We have reached the 2nd race weekend of the first triple header and we are in Austria! The Red Bull Ring makes its return to our screens since its double header and season opening races in July last year! The nail-biting French Grand Prix is behind us and we face an exciting two weekends in Spielberg! Here’s all you need to know about what this triple header is offering us.

Image: formula1.com

The Title Fight 

Teams in this championship are the closest they have been for a long time during this hybrid era, the triple header and the fast points its offering could change everything at a very quick pace. 78 points are on offer for winners in the space of 3 weeks (also including fastest laps), many teams will be looking at this point in the year as an opportunity they need to fight for. The question is still posed will someone win all three? That someone can only be Max Verstappen as he bagged the first 25 points on offer in France just last Sunday. But who will be on the top step this week? 

Image: autosport.com

Mercedes ruled the Ring last year with both Bottas and Hamilton reaching the top step during the double header. But as we seen in France, previous wins do not always guarantee repetition in future races. The Mercs had won every year at Le Castellet since the circuit joined the calendar in 2018 (race not held in 2020) and led 105 out of 106 laps raced at Le Castellet but last weekend Red Bull took the top step. We are no where near the end of the season, with 23 races this year there is a lot more opportunity to still have other drivers, not just Max and Lewis, making their way up in the championship. There is still no indication to the outcome of the race this weekend as we see teams like McLaren and Alpine and Alpha Tauri appearing in the top three of the timing sheets during practice sessions.

W Series Season Opener

Image: wseries.com

FINALLY ITS HERE!!! The season opener for W Series takes place in Austria this weekend and I could not be more excited! This season the Series is contested as a Formula 1 support race, just like Formula 2 and Formula 3. The all female series has 18 drivers competing over an 8 race calendar with two of these races taking place in Austria over the next 2 weekends. The series is continuing to be broadcasted on Channel 4 after its debut season in 2019, I can’t wait to see the racing we are going to get this season after a long break due to the series having to be paused in 2020. More broadcasters over the world have been revealed and the series is set to reach more than 175 territories and over 500 million viewers this season! I am so glad that this all female racing series will get the traction and attention it deserves to take it to the next level in the racing world. The series highlights the amazing female talent out there and creates the much needed representation of women in motorsports that has been missing for too long. 

The criticism

While triple headers are great for fan engagement with 3 races back to back, there is a large human cost by doing so. Triple headers were first used in 2018 and drew lots of criticism from teams due to the strain put on their staff. In 2019 there was not a single triple header but along came the pandemic in 2020 which forced F1 to revise its calendar to fit as many races as possible into a short space of time after a postponed start to the season in July. 

Image: formula1.com

Many teams understood that triple headers were necessary in 2020 to create a substantial season for points. However, we are now into 2021 and teams are faced with an exhausting 23 race season, this has had a mixed response as teams understand the financial recovery that F1 needs after a difficult 2020 but there is also criticism from the teams due to the extreme toll it takes on their staff. Last July, Andreas Seidl stated that triple headers “cannot be the new standard going forward in future seasons”. Toto Wolff has also highlighted the physical and mental strain that is put onto staff during triple headers “You must not forget that the hardest working people are the ones that set up the garages take them down and the mechanics that will have overnighters if something goes wrong” he also added “You need to question how long that is sustainable”. 

Image: planetf1.com

Chase Carey the former F1 CEO stated to investors that the sport “expects to move to a 24-race calendar in the next few years”. This statement means that triple headers may not be leaving F1 as quickly as many teams hoped for. This means that teams will now have to think of future plans to make triple headers more sustainable for its staff moving forward. Whether that is having rotating teams or finding methods to not overwork their teams further than they already are. 

Austria is providing so much for is this weekend, with the thrilling W Series opener, the title battle and the unknown of who will be on that top step. This year has been one of the most exciting seasons we have had in a long time and we’re not even halfway through! It is soo close between teams and drivers and this year seems to be constantly proving why I love this sport and I can’t wait to see it continue (hopefully I’ve not jinxed it ahhhh). 

What are you looking forward to in Austria? Who will be on the top step or are you more into the W Series? Let us know on our Instagram @fs_formulas!

Thanks For Reading!

Soph

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