WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Some of the big areas of interest at Round 6 in Spielberg

The second of three consecutive rounds sees the drivers leave Barcelona and head to Spielberg for Round 6 of the 2024 season.

As we head into the second half of the campaign, both Championship battles are heating up, meaning there is plenty to look out for on track.

So, here are a few of those storylines to keep an eye on in Spielberg…

THE SECOND HALF

Round 6 in Spielberg officially means we are now in the second half of the season, and with four rounds to come in the next five weeks, this is a crucial point in the campaign.

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The results over the next month will go a long way to deciding who comes out on top in both Championships, but in particularly the Drivers’ stakes where the top six drivers are separated by 19 points.

Not even in the 2022 season, where seven drivers went to the final round in Monza with a chance of winning the title, has the Championship been this close at the halfway stage.

This means that starting in Spielberg, any victory, podium, point-scoring result or even fastest lap could go a long way to deciding who gets their hands on the trophy come the year’s end.

WHO WILL FIGHT BACK

While the top six drivers are close, this does not rule out any of the other drivers as we have seen it is possible to put yourself into Championship consideration with a second half surge.

Zane Maloney did just this in 2022, as after the first 10 races, he was 11th in the Standings on 29 points, trailing leader Victor Martins by 69 points.

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But he scored three consecutive Feature Race victories to end the year and wound up second, just five points behind Champion Martins. So, can anyone do that this year?

There are a number of drivers who feel they have more pace than their results have shown so far this season and believe that they should be higher up in the Standings.

Spielberg could represent the start of a new chapter in the season for them and could be the beginning of their climb up the leaderboard.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY… OR STAY

Spielberg has produced a number of great races over the years both in the sun and the rain and the forecast shows that we could get a mix of weather conditions this weekend.

Last year’s Sprint Race and the 2022 Feature were both held in wet conditions with the teams bolting on the wet tyres to their cars.

The key for the two winners in Paul Aron, who won last year’s Sprint, and Isack Hadjar, who claimed victory in the Feature two years ago, was to get their tyres up to temperature, find the grip and simply just keeping their cars on track.

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The rain can bring plenty of turmoil as we have seen drivers go off track on their own after missing a braking point or even collide into each other, so keeping calm and making the right decisions is even more critical.

On top of that, it is possible that the track could dry out before or during Qualifying or races, so making the right decision on which tyre to use will be critical.

Either way, expect a fascinating weekend in Spielberg.

DRS TRAINS AND OVERTAKES GALORE

The Red Bull Ring is a short track that feature threes long straights that are also DRS zones. So, it’s a track that brings with it plenty of overtaking opportunities.

As a result, we often see DRS fights at the front as last year’s Feature Race saw four drivers take lead, including eventual winner Zak O’Sullivan.

So, timing when you get to the front is key and making sure once you get there you can extend the gap to the cars behind and get out DRS range is even more important.

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Another caveat to that is the tyres, as while the track does not put too much stress on the tyres, the cooler temperatures could lead to thermal degradation.

Last year, after taking the lead Dino Beganovic came on the radio to say his tyres were giving up after just Lap 10 of 26, and the PREMA Racing driver would eventually fall down the order and finish fifth.

So, while overtaking opportunities are plentiful, it will be just as key to manage the Soft tyre. Whoever does it best could be standing on the top step come the end of the weekend.