After a second summer break, it is time again for petrolheads to gather and watch their idols race around in the fastest cars on the planet. In the past few races, there weren’t many situations which caused yellow flags to be shown. Even when Perez and Sergio crashed at the end of a race only a virtual safety car was deployed. This might sound good, but the crew of the safety car has a different opinion on this.
Since the Spanish Grand Prix, there have been no actual safety car incidents on track. You might think these people can enjoy their “Time off” however, they still have to be ready to race onto the track as soon as something happens. So every Grand Prix, they have been sitting in their suits ready to go. Will this week’s Austin Grand Prix bring a change to their boring routine?
The Sprint Race Raises Chances Of Safety Cars!
At the Austin GP, there will be a sprint race on Saturday to determine the starting grid of the actual GP. The sprint race means a higher chance of people crashing into each other since there are two racing events. The drivers don’t go flat out during the sprint races as they don’t want their cars to get damaged a day before the actual Grand Prix.
The safety car has only made 4 appearances in the 11 F1 Grand Prix that were held at the circuit. And in one of these Grand Prix, the safety car was deployed 2 times. So the chances of having an actual safety car to watch during the race will be small. On multiple occasions, the virtual safety car has been deployed at COTA. This makes it more likely that this method will be used again.
The Austin GP Will Be The Race Of The Upgrades
After having a second summer break, we’re heading into the last 6 F1 races of the 2024 season. The Austin Grand Prix is the race where most teams will bring their final big upgrade packages to the car. Teams like Ferrari and Mercedes already announced the types of upgrades they will bring.
However, it is Red Bull’s upgrade package that everyone is excited about. Since their car is currently unusable by Sergio Perez or Max Verstappen. These upgrades can save Max’s chances of winning the Driver’s championship from Lando Norris.