Klien expects excitement in Austria: "Then they can take the fight against Red Bull"

This weekend marks Red Bull Racing's home race, with the drivers already being thrown to the lions tomorrow night in qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix. Like last year, there will be a sprint race, and that caused Red Bull to make a mistake with the setup last year, losing the win on Sunday. In an exclusive interview with former Red Bull driver Christian Klien, MaximumGPnews looks ahead to the 2023 edition.

The 40-year-old Klien drove for the Red Bull team as David Coulthard's teammate in 2005 and 2006, and thanks to his participation in the 2010 season, is still the last Austrian to compete in a Grand Prix. As an Austrian and former Red Bull driver, Klien is obviously hoping for success for Max Verstappen, but that's not going to be so easy. He thinks the biggest competition this weekend will come from the Italian camp. "Historically, Ferrari has often performed well at the Red Bull Ring," Klien knows. "They have been very competitive here the last two years."

Repetition of the duel between Verstappen and Leclerc?

Ferrari has often been competitive in qualifying this year, only to fall back on Sunday. In Canada, Ferrari was fast on Sunday but threw away a good result on Saturday. If the team does manage to perform well in both sessions this weekend, things could get exciting upfront. "They are competing for pole position anyway," Klien clarified. "It seems they had their tire degradation under control a bit better in Canada. If that is the case again at the Red Bull Ring, and the set-up for the race is good, Ferrari could even battle Red Bull in the race. Hopefully, Ferrari will compete at the front this weekend." In 2019 and 2022, Charles Leclerc and Verstappen also competed against each other for the win.

Mercedes has the slower corners as its weak point, while Aston Martin is very all-round. "I think some of the high-speed corners, such as in the second and third sectors, will suit Mercedes well. Aston Martin is often good in the slower corners as well, so they will also compete at the front again," Klien surmised. "At the Red Bull Ring, however, there is always the advantage of the Honda engine. Their turbo in combination with the altitude should help Red Bull." The Red Bull Ring is the second-highest track on the calendar after the tracks in Mexico and Brazil.

Red Bull Ring much more technical than it seems

Klien then explained what you need to set a fast lap time at Spielberg. "The braking performance is important. You have to be comfortable with the brakes because the brakes are very important here. In addition, traction is crucial," believes Klien, referring especially to turn three, at the top of the hill. This corner is often crucial in setting a good lap time. "In the second and third sectors, however, given the high-speed corners, it's all about aerodynamics."

Looking at the map, the track in Austria seems very simple, and it, therefore, has the lowest lap time of all 22 Formula One circuit, but in reality, it is not that simple, Klien explained. "It is a very short and simple-looking circuit, but in practice, it is very technical. So your car has to be very all-round," Klien believes. "You have to be good at braking, and there are a lot of straights. The percentage that you drive full speed is high."

Sprint race: fun as a spectator, but not as a driver

Last year Red Bull made a mistake and the party was spoiled by the prancing horse from Italy. Excessive tire wear rendered Verstappen hopeless in the duel for the win. Klien spoke about the race over a week ago with Helmut Marko. "I don't think so," Klien replied when asked if we should fear a repeat. "Last year there was also a sprint race. I happened to talk about this with Helmut Marko in Montreal. He said that last year they were a bit too aggressive with the tuning. So the focus was too much on the sprint race and on qualifying. They used the tires too much as a result. They learned from that and they are going to tackle that differently, so I don't expect them to have the same problem this year."

So again this year there is a sprint race, and that makes it all a bit more unpredictable, Klien explained. "Yes, you always have that with sprint races. For us it's entertaining and it looks simple from the outside, but you actually only have one free practice. After that, your setup is fixed for the rest of the weekend, and it's very easy to be just a little bit off and then you carry the consequences the rest of the weekend."

Klien thinks the drivers and teams view the sprint race format differently than those who spend the weekend in front of the television. "Yes, I enjoy it as a spectator and as a television presenter, because it is a busy weekend. Sometimes those three free practice sessions can be boring, though, and it's a little harder to follow. On a sprint weekend, you start with one practice, and then qualifying starts, which is fun, and then you have the sprint race on Saturday, so I enjoy it."

Had Klien still been active as a driver, however, he would have joined Verstappen. "As a driver, I wouldn't like it, because you like to have an ideal preparation. Even if there are three hours of free practice, as a driver and as a team there is always something to optimize, and that is challenging and fun," said the Austrian. "As a driver, you would like to have even more time. That is the perspective of the teams and the drivers, but in the end, it is also entertainment, and as a spectator such a sprint race is quite interesting, but it should not always be like that. A good compromise has to be found."

Prediction for the Grand Prix

Given the weather forecast, it looks like we will see two completely different races. Friday's qualifying and Saturday's sprint day are likely to take place on a wet track, while Sunday's Grand Prix itself could remain dry. Verstappen has already won four times at the Red Bull Ring, and Klien is betting on a fifth victory for the Limburger. "I think it's almost a home race for Max now with all the Dutch fans, and of course, it's also a home race for Red Bull. He has been almost unbeatable in recent years, so I definitely predict Max will win. Then I say Leclerc will be second and Hamilton will be third."

A notable absentee in Klien's podium prediction is Verstappenen's teammate, Sergio Pérez. The Mexican has already failed to make Q3 three times in a row and has also failed to get on the podium for three races. So Klien seems to expect Pérez to struggle again this weekend. "He just needs a flawless weekend. In the last three or four races, he didn't do well at all. He was further behind Max than expected, so he needs a flawless weekend, especially in qualifying."

Although there has been a lot of criticism of Pérez in recent weeks, Klien believes that the pressure on the number two in the championship has actually dropped now. "Not anymore. After three or four bad races, where is the pressure?" wonders Klien. "I think the pressure was mainly there at the beginning of the season when he thought he could fight for the championship. I think he has the support of the team, at least for this year. In the end, he just needs a good weekend. Everyone knows he is not as bad as what he has shown in the last three or four races. What Red Bull needs is for him to finish second. He doesn't need to win. He needs to finish second and get a lot of points for the championship. I think he is capable of doing that."