AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

When you are rooting for two champions, you sometimes get a painful reminder that there's only one top step of the podium. And it can't be shared.

Every time I am about to scream with happiness for Red Bull's maiden win of 2019, I think of Charles Leclerc's heartbroken face standing on the second step of the podium. But every time I am about to sob over another win slipping away from Charles, I think of glowing smile on Max Verstappen's face as he raised the winner's trophy over his head.

When you are devoted to two stars of the future, as I am in Max and Charles, you tend to get swept up considering the blissful hope of tomorrow. Imagine what it will be like with those two drivers at the top of their game!

But, in light of recent events, I wish I'd looked up from my crystal ball for a second to be able to see that there was going to be more to the future than easy wins and unconditional camaraderie.

This was bound to happen sooner or later.

Honestly, I don't know when I was ever this conflicted about a race outcome. The desire for Max to win again in Austria and the hope that Charles would get that first win of his career were, in every way, completely equal.

The outcome of this race has turned into a verifiable emotional enigma.

However, if I were to put this crisis aside for a second, I have to concede that this weekend was just some good, old-fashioned racing.

Just when I thought we were in for another round of eventless Free Practice sessions, Free Practice 2 came storming in like... like Bottas into that barrier. For Max to go into the barrier that badly was unbelievable. But for Bottas to crash that badly was shocking. And then for Seb to avoid flying into the wall was one step down from a miracle. I haven't shouted over a practice session that much in a long time.

I also want to take this opportunity to say, "God bless Kimi Raikkonen." This is the man who complained to the stewards which resulted in Lewis Hamilton finally being given a penalty. It was paradise to watch an F1 race and not have to look at or think about that man (except when he was complaining on the radio... like usual). If only we were this blessed every weekend.

And thank goodness this was an exciting race again. After the sleep-inducing race in France, Austria was exactly what I needed.

Here are my notes from this weekend's sessions:

Free Practice 1

- Albon starting race with penalties 

- Bottas car has oil leak so change power unit 

- Max is first to go out 

- Seb’s dad is there! 

- They’re discussing why some teams have crooked pit stop lines 

- Nothing is going on

- Stroll just slid over a sausage curb and sprayed parts everywhere 

- Max’s helmet has a yellow design now, it must be a Jumbo yellow thing

- Session red flagged because Hulk lost the front left of his wing and dragged debris everywhere 

- Basically nothing happened

Free Practice 2

- Stroll goes off and throws off body work AGAIN just like he did this morning 

- Pierre goes through the gravel

- The Renault’s have front wings shaking and it’s a safety issue but no one has got on team radio to tell them not to use DRS 

- MAX went into a corner and it’s a big big shunt and there could be gearbox damage. Medical car deployed. Slid into the wall with the rear. Session red flagged. Rear damage is really bad. Max just swearing after in radio message. He’s okay though thank God.

- Max told Martin that he lost the rear before getting on the motorbike to go back. Now Maxy is jogging back to the garage. Yikes the car is so broken in the back. All the photographers are getting snaps of the broken car and it could expose secrets. Poor poor Max. 

- Oh my gosh as soon as they went green again Bottas went hard into Turn 6 and totally wrecked the front end of his Mercedes. Red flag again. Right through the gravel and got a head on collision with the carriers. Debris everywhere. A little wider into the turn and put the right wheels slightly off line and it snapped the car the other way and it went head on in the wall. Medical car deployed. Geez! They’re saying they’ve never seen a Mercedes that out of shape in this era.

- Seb radioed to ask if Bottas was okay 

- NOW SEB HAS GONE OFF and has gotten back on the track and it threw Seb right into the turn through the gravel but kept it out of the wall by a tiny bit and it was so so close and it was the same turn Max got thrown out of THIS IS CRAY

- Mercedes cover their car to bring it back into the garage cause they’re soooo secretive

- Still a ton of rear wing oscillation on both Renault back wings 

- Sainz went off where Bottas went off but he caught it before going into the wall. Not as bad as anyone else and he took it real slow into the gravel

- Gio blocked Charles and nearly caused a crash and the stewards said it’s noted but no investigation necessary 

- Charles reporting there’s something wrong with the engine and the pit says it’s fine but Charles feels something wrong 

Free Practice 3

- Pierre had to come in because no power and it’s a software issue

- Charles on an EXCELLENT lap of triple purples

- Jos is there 

- Grosjean had a little lockup and escapade into a turn but it’s fine 

- Patrick Dempsey is there talking to Jos and being hosted by Red Bull which makes me like him

- Stroll kicked up a huge cloud of dust and damaged the front of his car 

- Gio did same thing as Lance Stroll and damaged front wing 

Quali

- Pierre lost power in 2nd part of his lap but put a really good time down initially 

- there’s stuff breaking off Hulk’s rear wing plate

- Mercedes under pressure in Q1 because the track is ramping up 

- Kvyat came steaming into a blind corner and then found three cars around the turn and may have been impeded by George Russell 

- In Q2, Grosjean has to box because of front wing damage 

- In Q2, at the end, Kmags went off at a turn and into the gravel and messed up Lando’s lap 

- After Q3, there’s an FIA steward in Seb’s garage while mechanics are looking at something worriedly on the side 

- NOW Seb out of Q3 for unexplained reasons, we can only assume something broke, although there are whispers that maybe Ferrari changed something they should have had when they were already supposed to be in parc ferme

- Ham sabotaged Bottas by leaving him out to dry in Q3, RUDE

- Charles on pole!!

- Officially Ham second and Max 3rd, with Bottas in 4th but then Ham got a grid penalty for blocking Kimi (God bless Kimi) and now Ham starts 4th I think because of a two place grid penalty. There was something where it should have been three place penalty but with all the other penalties in play through the field, it ended up only being a two place

Pre-race 

- so many Max fans!!

- a Max and Charles scene cut together at the beginning of the show

- Youngest front row in the history of F1 

- Milo Ventimiglia is there

- Patrick Dempsey is really cool and loves racing 

- Martin Brundle is just raving about how amazing Charles is and I totally agree 

- This national anthem is like a rock concert

Race

- Charles keeps 1st but Max drops back to 8th even behind Gasly because his car stalled on start 

- Kmags under investigation for being out of position at the start 

- Kmags gets a drive through penalty for being out of position at start 

- Lando and Kimi doing some good racing 

- Ham constantly going over a bad curb and he’s not gaining time for it 

- Bottas pitted with Seb right behind him and it held up Bottas but then they weren’t ready for Seb so it took longer so in the end it was a 6 second pit stop and the tires weren’t ready and now they’re furious with themselves 

- Charles pit stop good 

- Ham was complaining about front wing and made the team change it and it meant his pit stop was 11 seconds and if only we were this blessed every day 

- Max passed Seb into 3rd!

- Why is Seb pitting again???

- Max storming!!

- Max reports losing power as he gained on Bottas 

- They gave Max a fail mode that fixed it 

- Max passes Bottas!!

- Max passed Charles with 3 laps to go and won! The entire place erupted with the raucous energy of the oranje army! Glorious

- this podium tension between Max and Charles was totally understandable but also it hurt me DEEPLY.

- I have never been so conflicted about an outcome in my life because I want both Charles and Max to win always but I really wanted this for Charles today but I am so proud of Max