They say consistency is key in Formula 1 and in Spielberg, consistency meant progress for Ollie Bearman at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The first of a back-to-back European doubleheader, the weekend brought heat, unpredictability and a steady climb from P20 in practice to P11 by the chequered flag.
Practice
Friday was far from the ideal start to a racing weekend as Ollie struggled to find pace on the initial low-fuel runs of the first session at the Red Bull Ring - a short, high-speed circuit that punishes hesitation.
FP2 brought small improvements later on Friday and by Saturday’s third practice session, Ollie cracked the top ten early on, holding P13 with 20 minutes to go - eventually finishing the session in P16, pace seemingly building up.
Qualifying
Austria’s short lap means the margins are razor-thin. In the first qualifying session, Ollie delivered under pressure, flying into Q2 in P14. Then, drama struck the track in the second session when a fire broke out trackside and the session was momentarily paused. At the restart, Ollie wasted no time, heading out immediately and jumping up to P8, before being pushed down to P15, where he qualified for Sunday’s main event.
The Race
The drama continued at the start of the Grand Prix when the Williams of Carlos Sainz failed to pull away for the formation lap, leaving the stricken car requiring a push and resulting in the start being abandoned. As the Williams car pulled into the pit lane and suddenly burst into flames, the start was postponed for ten minutes.
With a track temperature of 50°C, Ollie was one of the few drivers starting the race on the soft compound tyres. On the first lap, Kimi Antonelli struck the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, calling an early Safety Car. By the restart, Ollie was up to P12 and by Lap 5, was racing wheel-to-wheel with Franco Colapinto, soon snatching P11 from the Argentine driver and finding himself within half a second of Alonso in P10.
Ollie pitted on Lap 12 for the Hard tyres, fighting his way back up the pack after rejoining at the rear as drivers tested different strategies. Back in P11 by Lap 30, Ollie played the team game, assisting Esteban Ocon in an overtake, who was on fresher tyres and showing a stronger pace for possible points.
Later, Ollie was within half a second of the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, climbing to P10 in another fantastic overtake on Lap 36 before pitting for the medium compound tyres and rejoining in P13. Passing the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll on Lap 50 for P12, by Lap 64, Ollie was within two seconds of P11, chasing fellow rookie Isack Hadjar. Eventually passing on Lap 67, Ollie crossed the line in P11, just outside of the points.
Looking Ahead
Next stop: Silverstone - a home Grand Prix for Ollie and, if Austria is anything to go by, he is heading there with momentum on his side. Watch all of the action from Silverstone live on Sky Sports F1, from 4-6 July.
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