Red Bull Ring, Turn 1.
Kai knew this corner all too well. A year ago, he and Russell had fought a vicious battle here at the start. The memory was vivid.
First, Turn 1 is a prime overtaking spot, prone to incidents.
Second, it's the easiest place to lose pole position.
Having raced and won here before, Kai felt different. He unleashed his start without reservation.
Find the gap, step up the middle.
At the Red Bull Ring, the inside line for P2 and P4 is the racing line. Hamilton (P2) and Verstappen (P4) likely wouldn't give it up. In contrast, Bottas (Pole) starting on the outside/dirty side was vulnerable. He became the target for Kai in P3. A perfect launch allowed Kai to claim the inside of Bottas, forcing the Finn wide.
Position secured!
Bottas: Damn it!
But there was no time to breathe. Kai's gaze shifted right, locking onto Hamilton, who was entering Turn 1 alongside him.
The run to Turn 1 is short—only 320 meters. For F1 cars, this means the tires aren't fully up to temperature before drivers are braking, fighting for position, and cutting lines. The slightest error means a crash.
Right now, it was exactly that.
Hamilton on the right (#44), Bottas on the left (#77), Verstappen behind right (#33), and a chaotic pack behind. The heat was suffocating.
Like a square box, completely boxing in the #22 car.
Brake too early, get rear-ended. Brake too late, understeer into Bottas or oversteer into Hamilton. Traps everywhere.
A millimeter of difference could spell disaster. This was dancing on the blade's edge!
In the flash of a spark, tension peaked. But Kai was perfectly controlled. Not rushed, not slow. Just right. Braking slightly later than Bottas but slightly earlier than Hamilton, he kept the steering steady, carving a gentle, fluid arc through the right-hander. Like a compass drawing a perfect circle, graceful and silky. He threaded the needle, exiting Turn 1 glued to Hamilton, leaving Bottas and Verstappen behind.
Applause! Praise!
Croft's eyes widened in disbelief. In such a tight space, even a veteran like Bottas had deviated slightly, but Kai hadn't.
No contact. No friction. Let alone an accident.
Truly dancing on a tightrope!
Croft sweated. "How on earth did he do that?"
The red #22 was glued to the silver #44 exiting Turn 1, pushing maximum speed up the hill.
Kai was calm. Passing both Mercedes in Turn 1 would be perfect, but unrealistic.
Hamilton's defense was precise, leaving a narrow window. Attacking recklessly would mean a collision.
So, patience. Secure the position, block Bottas and Verstappen, and shadow Hamilton.
Sometimes, slow is fast.
Everything went as expected.
Hamilton and Kai entered Turn 1 side-by-side, with Kai slightly ahead, but Hamilton held the racing line and used mid-corner speed to exit first. The Mercedes straight-line advantage showed immediately, pulling half a car length ahead.
In the garage, Mekies clenched his fist, disappointed. The contrast hurt.
In Australia, Ferrari's straight-line speed was slightly inferior but close. Here at the Red Bull Ring, Kai's Turn 1 execution was flawless, yet the Mercedes pulled away on pure power.
Was Kai right about the upgrades hurting them?
On a power track like this, the performance gap was obvious. Ferrari had lost its edge. Not only was Hamilton pulling away, but Bottas and Verstappen were closing in. It was worrying.
Kai had no time to think about that. His focus was on Hamilton at Turn 3.
Turn 3, uphill right-hand hairpin.
Kai stuck to Hamilton's outside left. No dummy moves. Just pinned to the outside, full throttle, refusing to brake.
The hairpin approached. The pressure from Kai was immense. Hamilton sensed it immediately.
Usually, Hamilton braked early. He wasn't a late-braker like Ricciardo. But defending, he trusted his instincts. He felt Kai's murderous intent and adjusted instantly.
If late braking was needed, Hamilton had the skill and guts to do it. He wasn't afraid to show why he was a four-time champion!
Kai didn't brake. Hamilton didn't brake. Hamilton held the inside line, refusing to yield.
Wheel to wheel!
Gun to gun!
Smoke rising—
Kai braked first!
He knew staying stubborn would lead to understeer and running off track, inviting Bottas and Verstappen through.
He had to brake!
But braking wasn't just stopping. Kai steered slightly left, widening the arc to use the extra space on the outside, prioritizing exit speed to stay with Hamilton for the next attack at Turn 4.
Sure enough!
Kai's judgment was correct. In a split second, Hamilton braked too. Almost simultaneous.
Hamilton had less space and a tighter angle. He had to rotate the car sharply or lose exit speed.
Problem: low grip. Hamilton faced a higher risk of sliding. Dancing on ice.
This tiny gap was Kai's chance!
But—
Damn it!
The one dancing on ice wasn't Hamilton. It was Kai. Despite having more space and a wider angle, the upgraded Ferrari's instability in slow corners flared up. Kai felt the rear snap.
With cold tires, the car's unpredictability was magnified. The leash snapped.
Mekies: "Shit!"
Heart rate spiked like a rollercoaster!
At the critical moment, Kai showed his class. He balanced the car with steering and throttle inputs, fighting the slide while holding the line. He skimmed the apex of Turn 3, maintaining momentum miraculously, correcting continuously to keep dynamic balance, and exited right on Hamilton's tail.
Literally dancing on ice!
"Kai! The car snaps! He's losing position! Verstappen is closing in!"
"But!"
"Kai caught it! He didn't leave the track! He controlled the car, held the position, and gave Verstappen no chance!"
"He's glued to Hamilton, still fighting despite the chaos!"
Lightning fast. No time to breathe. From the Turn 1 mess to the Turn 3 battle, even the veteran Croft struggled to keep up.
The wind roared down the straight. Green and blue blurs merged into a tunnel of noise.
Turn 4, downhill right-hander. Approaching fast.
Hamilton was watertight. He claimed the inside, braking at the limit, the silver car hugging the apex. Not an inch given.
Kai shadowed the #44. In his right mirror, he saw Verstappen braking audaciously late, looking ready to rear-end Hamilton if necessary to claim the inside. Kai was forced to the outside.
But the rear twitched again at high speed. The tail oscillated like tumbleweed in a gale. Cold tires + instability = vibration through the steering wheel. Losing control.
Kai tapped the brakes to stabilize.
In that split second, the opportunity vanished.
Meanwhile, a silver blur roared in the left mirror.
Bottas #77, attacking from the outside!
Bottas sensed Kai's rhythm falter and saw him boxed in by Hamilton and Verstappen. He floored it, sweeping around the outside to squeeze him.
Chaos! Crowded!
Everyone attacking, everyone reacting.
Turn 1 replay!
Kai tried to defend, but the rear instability made the car feel like it was on ice. He couldn't trust it. Fighting to hold the line and control the car left him no room to adjust.
Car #22 and Car #77 entered Turn 4 side-by-side!
Kai was slightly ahead, but Hamilton and Verstappen pinned him inside. Bottas, with incredible stability on the outside, carved a beautiful arc, edging ahead of Kai bit by bit.
Silver exited first—
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
In the Mercedes garage, Wolff punched the air, screaming at the screen. Pressure released.
But the danger wasn't over.
Bottas forced his way past on the outside. Before Kai could recover, Verstappen pounced.
Turns 4 and 5 are consecutive right-handers. Verstappen, having followed Hamilton on the inside of Turn 4, attacked immediately. He aimed for the inside of Turn 5—
Decisive. Ruthless.
Verstappen didn't hesitate. No breathing room for Kai.
Kai was in trouble.
Dancing on ice. The car teetered on the edge of control. The oscillating rear killed his rhythm in the medium-speed corners. He was running on 200% focus just to keep it on track. The cold tires meant he couldn't fight fully.
Yet, amidst the chaos, Kai's mind was clear.
Hold the outside. Stabilize. Fight the slide. Wheel to wheel, shoulder to shoulder with Verstappen.
Car #22 and Car #33 entered Turn 5 like waltzing partners. Mortal enemies moving in sync, a perfect "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" moment, flowing through the corner.
After the Turn 5 right-hander comes Turn 6, a left-hander. An S-curve!
Kai, holding the outside of Turn 5, naturally transitioned to the inside for Turn 6. He claimed the apex first.
Then, exit first.
"Beautiful!" The Ferrari garage cheered. The Red Bull garage went silent. Heaven and hell swapped in an instant.
Kai wasn't soft. Neither was Max.
Under G-force and weight transfer, Max gripped the wheel, gritting his teeth, leaning on Kai.
The waltz continued.
Max, now on the outside, used the Red Bull's mechanical grip advantage in medium corners to stick with Kai. Through the short chute, they entered Turn 7 together.
Turn 7 (Left), Turn 8 (Right).
Second S-curve.
Turn 7: Max on the outside, but he held his ground. Didn't lose the position.
Turn 8: Max switched to the inside. The positions flipped again. Max claimed the apex first.
"Beautiful!" Red Bull cheered. Ferrari hearts clenched.
Kai realized the danger. Turn 9 (Rindt) was another right-hander. Max had the line. He had to get ahead.
Exiting Turn 8, Kai tried to widen his arc to carry more speed onto the straight, reducing the steering angle to calm the rear. But unexpected understeer hit.
Subtle. Millimeters. But the exit angle widened slightly. A gap opened.
Max saw blood!
Steering, throttle, clean control. His rear wheel grazed the Ferrari's front wing as he shot past!
The crowd held its breath.
Kai adjusted instantly to follow, but the rear instability cost him exit speed. Even with the Ferrari engine advantage, the straight wasn't long enough. Max reached Turn 9 first.
Red Bull signature late braking. Hug the apex. Line, position, timing—perfect. He blocked Kai.
"Verstappen! Kai!"
"They fought tooth and nail for four corners! The attack and defense were relentless!"
"But!"
"The Red Bull #33 seized the moment to pass the Ferrari #22! In this duel of prodigies, Verstappen takes the first round."
"Wow, unbelievable. The 2018 Austrian GP is delivering. Just one lap in, and it's a knife fight. Kai briefly looked at P2 and P1, but fell to P4."
"End of Lap 1. The order:"
"Hamilton. Bottas. Verstappen. Kai. Ricciardo. Grosjean. Vettel."
"Oh god, a bad start for Ferrari!"
Hearts pounding. Blood boiling.
In the commentary booth, the heat was palpable. Croft and Brundle exchanged excited glances.
Only now could they breathe and replay the start.
Undoubtedly, Kai showed top-tier skill.
With a setup inferior to Mercedes and Red Bull, he used pure ability to threaten for the lead. He wrung the neck of the car, avoiding contact in the crush. A dance on the blade.
If the Ferrari was more trustworthy, the result might have been different.
"Since the Canada upgrade, Ferrari hasn't improved as hoped. Instead, Red Bull has closed the gap. Ferrari should be fighting Mercedes, not Red Bull. This is a severe test for the team."
Brundle hit the nail on the head.
However, after the Lap 1 thrill, the race settled. No more wheel-banging immediately.
The Red Bull Ring rewards rhythm and speed. Overtaking is possible, and tire wear isn't critical.
It's a stage for driver skill. If one driver is too aggressive—heavy braking, risky moves—tires die fast.
Others might one-stop; the aggressive driver might need two or three. Unless they build a pit window gap, they lose everything.
Balancing aggression and conservation is the test.
Hot-headed driving ruins races here.
So: Lap 1, bayonets out. Lap 2, wait and see.
The race stabilized. Aside from Vettel passing Grosjean for P6, the top 10 remained static.
Leading was familiar territory for Hamilton and Mercedes. With both cars in front, they could dictate strategy.
Pirelli brought Soft (Yellow), Supersoft (Red), and Ultrasoft (Purple). The leaders all started on Supersofts. The window was Lap 18-22.
If Mercedes wanted to control the race, they had to pit first. Aiming for a 1-2 finish.
Ferrari and Red Bull pit walls were busy too.
Red Bull, Ferrari, Red Bull, Ferrari. Four cars intertwined. They had to watch each other while attacking Mercedes. They needed to be bold to disrupt the status quo.
The air grew tense.
Then, disaster struck—Hülkenberg's engine caught fire. Retired.
The Renault pit wall groaned. Red Bull likely smirked.
Engine failure. Trust broken.
Then, the second disaster—"Bottas is off at Turn 4. Loss of power. Retiring."
Kai, right behind, radioed immediately.
The paddock gasped.
Lap 14. Pole-sitter Bottas out with a PU failure. Chaos.
"Prepare to pit?" Kai asked.
Greenwood: "Tire blistering?"
Kai: ... "Strategy, David. If the Safety Car comes out, we must pit."
As he spoke, the yellow flags turned into a Virtual Safety Car (VSC).
"Wait, let me check Seb's status," Greenwood said.
Kai: "David, even if Vettel pits, we must pit. Staying out means losing positions. This isn't Monaco."
"..."
Pit wall—no response.
Kai couldn't see the whole picture. He had to judge based on his situation.
Pitting under VSC was the smart move.
But Ferrari worried about double-stacking.
Red Bull had a 5-second gap between Max and Ricciardo. Easy double stack.
Ferrari had only 3 seconds between Kai and Vettel. Risky.
But hesitation is death.
Greenwood finally spoke. "Box. Box. Seb is pitting too. Watch your delta."
"Copy."
Pit lane drama.
Hamilton... stayed out!
The commentators gasped. Mercedes missed the VSC window!
Wolff feared getting trapped. With both rivals having two cars, they could split strategies (one stays out, one pits). Hamilton would be covered either way.
Wolff trusted Hamilton to pull a Monaco-style overcut.
Ferrari breathed a sigh of relief. If Hamilton stayed out, Kai (pitting) wouldn't be blocked. The overcut threat was neutralized.
Good thing Ferrari pitted.
However, no time to celebrate—
Pit lane frenzy.
Ferrari's fear came true. Red Bull schooled them on efficiency.
Verstappen: 2.3s. Kai: 2.7s.
Close enough. Under VSC, no position change.
Ricciardo: 2.7s. Vettel: 4.7s.
The grandstands were stunned. Vettel fans' hearts exploded. If this wasn't proof Ferrari was sacrificing Vettel, what was?
Storms change quickly!
Bottas's failure broke the deadlock. VSC deployed. Everyone pitted except Hamilton. The deck was reshuffled.
Lap 20. VSC ended. Race resumed.
Hamilton was flying, trying to build a gap.
Verstappen sped up too, applying pressure.
But Kai couldn't focus on Max. Because—
No grip.
Kai had switched to Softs (Yellow), the hardest compound. Pirelli said 20-25 laps; reality dictated a one-stop to the end (56 laps).
Everyone was on the same plan.
Like Monaco, the Red Bull Ring's low abrasion meant warm-up was slow.
Ferrari's setup issues (balance, instability) made it worse. Kai struggled on the Supersofts; on Softs, it was a nightmare.
Even after 6 laps under VSC, the tires were cold.
VSC ended. Hamilton and Max pushed. Kai couldn't.
Ricciardo noticed.
"Hehe, Kai, bear with me. I'll be gentle." Ricciardo grinned in the cockpit.
Kai held him off for a lap with defensive lines, but no grip meant no chance.
Ricciardo used his signature move—tow on the straight, pop out, DRS, late brake into the corner.
Kai expected it. He left the inside open, planning a cutback (switchback) to use exit speed.
But plans fail. Tires locked. Smoke. No grip meant no rotation.
Ricciardo sailed past.
"Woooo!"
Red Bull garage erupted. Verstappen P2, Ricciardo P3. Hamilton hadn't pitted. Red Bull was winning the net race.
Vettel fans cheered wildly in the stands.
Other Tifosi looked at them: Are you serious?
Lap 26. Hamilton's tires died. No Safety Car. He pitted.
He came out P4, behind Kai. Just ahead of Vettel.
Mercedes realized their mistake. Red Bull held all the cards.
Unbelievable!
Red Bull had been disappointing in qualifying. But in the race, they were stronger than Ferrari. The VSC was the turning point.
Now, Red Bull 1-2. Home win in sight.
The home crowd went wild.
Amidst the heat, Kai stayed cool. Race not halfway done.
He noticed track temps rising. His Softs were waking up. Rhythm improved.
This meant two things: He could fight. And the Red Bulls might have pushed too hard, too early.
Verstappen and Ricciardo were aggressive. On a one-stop, that's a deal with the devil.
Lap 34. Kai saw it.
"Daniel's tires are blistering. Are they pitting?" Kai asked.
Greenwood: "No movement."
Kai understood. Red Bull was gambling. Delaying the stop to protect track position or help Max.
Red Bull had the initiative.
To break it, Kai had to attack.
Kai: "I'm attacking. Monitor tire temps."
Greenwood: "Copy!"
Kai upped the pace. Smoothly. Within a lap, he closed 0.6s. Gap to Ricciardo: 1 second.
No waiting. Attack immediately.
Through Turn 1, onto the straight towards Turn 2 (kink). Full throttle. Ricciardo was struggling with blisters. Kai caught the slipstream.
Ricciardo focused—
Kai popped out! Outside!
Classic Kai. Unpredictable. Most go inside; he goes outside.
Ricciardo kept cool. He didn't block aggressively, just drifted wide to squeeze Kai's line, applying pressure without losing position.