Vasseur expects close battle at the sharp end of the field at Spielberg

Ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur expects close battle at the sharp end of the field at Spielberg's short Red Bull Ring.

After its Canadian interlude, the F1 field returns to Europe, resuming with the Austrian and British double-header. The first of these sees the teams head to Spielberg in the Styrian mountains, a few kilometres from Graz.

For the second time this season, Ferrari is running three drivers over the course of the weekend. In line with the regulation that each race driver must give up his seat for a Friday practice session twice per year for a young driver with fewer than two Grand Prix participations to their name, Dino Beganovic, the young Maranello Academy student, will drive Charles Leclerc's car in the first free practice.

For the Swede, it will not be a completely new opportunity as he has already driven the Monegasque’s SF-25 in the opening practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Speaking ahead of the weekend, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur revealed that he expects close battle at the sharp end of the field at Spielberg's short Red Bull Ring.

"It only takes a little over a minute for a Formula 1 car to lap the Spielberg circuit, which means the field is closely bunched in terms of laptime, and thousandths of a second can make a big difference.

"Managing to put everything together will be crucial. The fact that seven of the ten corners are right handers combined with significant changes in elevation only adds to the challenge.

"We have been working hard in Maranello with the aim of ensuring that all the necessary elements come together in such a way as to deliver the best possible performance.

"Charles, Lewis and the whole team are determined to give their best at a track that often delivers one of the most spectacular races of the season.