Red Bull stablemates Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen are keen to shine during this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, which serves as the home race for the energy drink giant.
Both Toro Rosso rookies are coming off a challenging Montreal event, though Carlos Sainz did manage to outrace Daniel Ricciardo in the sister Red Bull RB11 to finish 12th.
The Spaniard has previous experience of the Spielberg track and believes its layout should play more to the strengths of his STR10.
“Austria is the home race for our big Red Bull family,” said Sainz. “I raced there back in my Formula 3 days but I imagine it will feel rather different in a Formula 1 car.
“I’m looking forward to going there and the track layout should suit us better than the last one in Canada.”
While team-mate Verstappen relishes the prospect of returning to Austria, the young Dutchman fears the Red Bull Ring’s power-hungry nature will once again put his Renault hybrid V6 under duress.
The 17-year-old started using a fifth engine in Canada two weeks ago, which resulted in a 10-place and grid penalty and 10-second stop-and-go on race day.
“I have always enjoyed driving at this track, especially in the Formula 3 car, which I tested and raced here so I know it quite well. It’s a very nice track in a beautiful location, even if the long straights might not suit us that well.
“There are some tight corners at the end of the fast sections, which means it can be hard on the brakes. It’s a bit of an old-school track, which is the type of circuit I like, so I’m looking forward to going there. Everyone in the team will be keen to get the best result possible at what is the home track for Red Bull.”
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