A day before the feature race in Austria, Max Verstappen already fueled confidence with eight World Cup points in the sprint race. The Limburger drove the entire field in just 24 laps in more than twenty seconds. Teammate Sergio Pérez was second ahead of Carlos Sainz.
Only one heated lap, Max Verstappen couldn’t get any more difficult in the sprint race on the Red Bull Ring. Starting from pole, he only had to deal with a brutal and a bit too enthusiastic attacking Sergio Pérez. The Mexican, who started from P2, brutally parked his car next to Max’s and forced him well to the side of the track. “He pushed me off man… What the f*ck”, Verstappen roared agitated over the on-board radio. The Mexican, of course, had a different reading. ,,What’s wrong with Max, man…”
Very little, it turned out, because after that short bullfight, where Pérez briefly took the lead, Verstappen quickly restored order, only to relegate the entire field afterwards. “But we really need to talk about what happened after the start. Because that was not okay”, said Verstappen immediately after the finish. The two teammates immediately visited each other afterwards.
After that, the air seemed to be cleared up nicely, because Verstappen remained businesslike in the interview afterwards. ,,The start was not ideal, a bit of wheelspin. But once in charge, it was manageable. 24 laps on inters is quite a lot. The last four or five laps the slicks were probably faster, but then it was of little use for us to switch.”
,,It was a bit of a difficult moment at Turn 1. When you get pushed towards the grass it’s a bit slippery, but I stayed without any problems. After that it was a great race.”
View the images of the start.
After the fight with Verstappen, Pérez then also got over Nico Hülkenberg. The German van Haas, who started surprisingly from P4, held on to second place behind Verstappen for half of the 24 laps, but then he had to let Pérez pass again and also Carlos Sainz. For example, a podium in the sprint race passed under the nose of the German, who has never taken a podium place in Formula 1.
On the drying track everyone started on intermediates. Valtteri Bottas initially had other plans, but decided to switch back to inters after a formation lap on slicks. It was only seven laps before the end that a team dared to take on the slicks again. It was Mercedes that was the first to take the gamble with George Russell. Lewis Hamilton went not much later. The first man reasonably in front who took the gamble: yet again Hülkenberg. Coming in fourth, knowing he would still be overtaken? What did it get him? The German veteran finished sixth, with which he just managed to secure three World Cup points.
Nick de Vries? Started fourteenth, finished seventeenth.
Live blog
5:04 PM
FINISH
Verstappen wins the sprint race with a huge difference.
5:02 PM
Round 22/24
Verstappen has no less than 20 seconds ahead of Pérez. The entire top 6 stays out, because a pit stop will take too much time.
5:01 PM
Round 19/24
Verstappen stays out on his intermediates, so as not to give his competitors a chance to take over the lead.
4:56 pm
Round 16/24
Verstappen is a few tenths further ahead every lap. He has already set Pérez at 11 seconds. The track is drying out a bit, so more and more drivers are switching intermediates for regular tyres.
16:51
Round 14/24
Making a pit stop during the sprint race is not mandatory, but will all the tires hold up to the end?
De Vries has now dropped to seventeenth place, while teammate Tsunoda is fourteenth.
4:50 pm
Round 13/24
We are more than half way through the sprint race, with Verstappen still firmly in the lead. Teammate Pérez has taken over second place from Hülkenberg, who seems to have some problems with his tires.
4:46 pm
Watch the fierce battle between the Red Bulls at the start here.
4:46 pm
Round 9/24
The Mercedes experienced a dramatic sprint shootout earlier today and are therefore dependent on chasing. That goes reasonably well: Russell is now eleventh, Hamilton thirteenth.
16:44
Round 7/24
Verstappen is further ahead and has already gained four seconds on Hülkenberg. The German is aiming for a first, because he has never been on the podium in Formula 1.
4:40 pm
Round 5/24
Pérez even lost his second place to a surprising Nico Hülkenberg. De Vries has lost a place after the start and is now fifteenth.
16:39
Round 4/24
It will be fun tonight at the table at Red Bull. Verstappen and Pérez are angry with each other and believe that the other has crossed the line, is heard via the on-board radio.
16:37
Round 2/24
Without a vehicle in front, Verstappen is not bothered by spray and that can be seen in his lap times. He immediately sets the fastest race lap and is ahead of his competitors.
16:34
Start!
Verstappen loses the lead to Pérez at the start, but does not let that happen. The Dutchman immediately hits back and is back in first place after turn 2!
16:33
The formation lap is over. All drivers start on the intermediates. Bottas wanted to try on the medium tyre, but also retraces his steps just before the start.
16:29
The drivers are ready for the 24-lap sprint race. A wet track, so unexpected things can happen.
16:18
George Russell, who was left behind in the garage in the second part of the sprint shootout, can breathe a sigh of relief. His car was fixed just in time.
16:17
The umbrellas on the track and the grandstands go up! We can prepare for a wet sprint race on the Spielberg circuit.
16:14
The best eight drivers earn points for the World Championship standings. The winner may add eight points, for the number 8 there is still one point to collect.
4:07 PM
Sprint shootout
Missed how Verstappen controlled the sprint shootout this afternoon? View the summary here.
15:47
Grid penalty Leclerc
Charles Leclerc has been moved back three places in the sprint race starting grid. The race management penalized the Ferrari driver for hindering Oscar Piastri in the sprint shootout. The Australian McLaren driver had to hit the brakes to avoid the slow-driving Leclerc and was therefore unable to drive a fast lap.
Due to the grid penalty, Leclerc will not start from sixth, but ninth position in the sprint race, in which the Formula 1 drivers can take points for the world championship. Leclerc has had a disappointing season so far. The Monegask only finished on the podium once and is seventh in the championship.
Result, position and program
watch here Grand Prix results from this year, the position in the general classification and the program for the rest of the season.
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