Verstappen fends off McLaren pair for Austria Sprint win
A good start and a determined defence against Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri saw Red Bull's Max Verstappen take what ultimately proved to be an emphatic victory in the 23-lap Austrian GP sprint race in Spielberg on Saturday.
Norris attacked Verstappen on lap 5 and briefly took the lead of the race, only for Verstappen to take it back straight away. That allowed Piastri to snatch second place for the remainder of the 23-lap race.
George Russell successfully passed Carlos Sainz for fourth but his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton was not able to follow suit. Charles Leclerc appeared to have overheating issues but still finished ahead of Sergio Perez.
A beautiful summer's day in the Styrian Alps was the setting for the latest Formula 1 Sprint Race in Spielberg, Austria as the drivers heading to the grid at the Red Bull Ring, led by Max Verstappen and Lando Norris on the front row. With markedly higher temperatures than Friday, everyone was starting on medium tyres (Sauber opting for new sets, everyone else on used) to ensure they could last the distance.
An extra formation lap was required for unspecified reasons meaning the race lap count was reduced by one to 23, but the start went smoothly the second time round. Verstappen leapt away at the front while Norris just managed to fend off a spirited attack from his McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri. Behind them, Carlos Sainz pulled off a beautiful move on George Russell around the outside of turn 4, while Lewis Hamilton had his hands full controlling Charles Leclerc who had made easy work of getting around Sergio Perez and both Alpines.
At the front, Verstappen hadn't managed to pull out of DRS range from Norris who was now safe and settled in second. He was setting his sights on the Red Bull which seemed to be struggling with braking into turn 3, which conversely was where the McLaren was at its best. Norris duly made his move there, late-braking down the inside on lap 5 and briefly taking the lead. Verstappen immediately successfully counter-attacked through turns 4 and 5, and that opened the door to Piastri allowing him to slide past his team mate to take second.
Sainz had fallen out of DRS range of the leaders which left him vulnerable to attack from the two Mercedes. Russell jumped him through turn 4 on lap 8, leaving Hamilton next in the queue to take on the flagging Ferrari. But after some hard racing in the early laps, everyone was having to be a little more cautious about degradation as they passed the midway point - although Alpine frenemies Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were still scrapping over P11, and RB's Daniel Ricciardo dispatched Logan Sargeant in the Williams for 16th on lap 15.
There were evidently no team orders at McLaren. Norris closed back up on Piastri but was unable to pass amid two warnings for track limit violations. Russell had managed to pull out of DRS range of Sainz, which left the Spaniard increasingly under threat from Hamilton. Leclerc was too far back to be a factor having been warned by the Ferrari pit wall about engine temperatures and advised to lift and coat at the end of straights. Despite his growing lead, Verstappen had concerns of his own complaining of too much engine 'clipping'.
None of that affected the result, Verstappen finishing almost five seconds ahead of Piastri who managed to hold onto second from Norris. Russell held on to fourth while Sainz fended off Hamilton for fifth, leaving Leclerc and Perez taking the final points-paying positions in the top eight.
Just missing out despite a strong start, Kevin Magnussen finished in ninth for Haas ahead of Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, while Ocon and Gasly crossed the line ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg, and Ricciardo finished ahead of Fernando Alonso and Logan Sargeant. Alex Albon was 18th having started from the pit lane, leaving the two Saubers of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu slowest of anyone today. Hulkenberg was subsequently handed. 10-second penalty for forcing Alonso off track on lap 21, dropping him to P19.
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