Red Bull Ring Speed Trap: who is the fastest of them all?

© XPB 

Despite its 63-second mad dash short layout, the Red Bull Ring is still considered a power circuit where engine muscle adds crucial value to a driver's performance.

With that in mind, one look at the Speed Trap readings from Saturday's qualifying session tells us all we need to know about Ferrari's plight in Austria.

Charles Leclerc who qualified P7 is the field's clear laggard, his SF1000 clocking in at 312.4 km/h or 10 km/h slower than Lewis Hamilton's Black Arrow.

As a reminder, Leclerc topped the speed trap readings one year ago with 323.2 km/h. Sebastian Vettel is hardly better, so where has the velocity gone?

For many, the latter was lost in the confidential paragraphs inserted into the secret and controversial agreement - or rather settlement - sealed by Ferrari earlier this year with the FIA after the latter's investigation into the inner workings of the Scuderia's 2019 power unit.

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto repeatedly contends that his team owes its current massive under-performance mainly to the SF1000's aero characteristics, the weakness of which will hopefully be solved by an upcoming upgrade package.

But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he's heard that tune sung one time too many by Binotto.

"I can’t listen to that anymore," said the Austrian on Saturday.

"I’d like to cheer everybody up at Ferrari because this is a fantastic company with fantastic people but I have no reason to cheer Mattia up.

"They haven’t shown great performance today, we want them to be competitive and race with us, race under the same rules." Ouch!

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