Another shitting of the bed for Alfa Romeo at the Austrian GP this weekend. For pretty much everybody, if I'm being honest. I don't know enough about the particulars of the sport to blame the track, but when damn-near half the field is getting penalties for exceeding track limits all weekend, I'd venture the guess the track might not be well-designed for the kind of racing the drivers are accustomed to. One could argue that's a part of the challenge; I'd argue that doesn't make it interesting for the spectators having to watch the ticker and do math to determine where everyone actually stands.
That said, it was a banger of a race. Not for me; Bottas (AGAIN) got tangled at the start, suffered damage, and dropped to the back of the field almost immediately. I wish the guy would pick an outside or inside line and stick to it, but he always manages to be in the middle of the track, sandwiched between other cars, with no options beyond collision or giving up his place, often both.
But as much as I enjoyed everyone else's battles, it really pissed me off when Verstappen, already leading by +20 seconds (surprise!) opted to come into the pits in the final two laps for fresh soft tires to take not only the win and 25 points, but also steal the fastest lap point from Perez, his own teammate, who'd put on a monster of a show to storm from the back of the field to make the podium! It was was one fucking point, and Verstappen literally risked his race to take it from Sergio Perez for himself. Yes, the team still gets it, but his teammate already had it! That was the equivalent of two kids in the backseat, one with a triple-scoop ice cream cone taking the single-scoop ice cream cone from his sibling, and the parents just being content there's ice cream in the car. I was almost on my knees praying for that last pit stop to go wrong and LeClerc take the win. No man's hubris is more deserving of karmic retribution than Max Verstappen. And I thought I hated Lewis Hamilton when Bottas was his teammate, man, I REALLY hate Verstappen for Perez's sake. Funny when you're in 2nd for the WDC behind only your teammate, and your job is somehow on the line. What does Red Bull want? TWO #1s for the WDC??
