Verstappen, on the other hand, had won the sprint on Saturday, but overall his lead in Austria melted slightly. He is now 38 World Cup points ahead of Leclerc, who is second overall again. He last won in Australia on April 10, followed by numerous setbacks through no fault of his own.
“I can’t stop him much longer”
On the race track, Verstappen initially held his lead in front of the Ferrari duo at the start, the trio completed the first laps through orange clouds of smoke – behind them Schumacher was the focus again. The 23-year-old had already fought a remarkable duel with Hamilton in the sprint on Saturday, and again he put great pressure on the record world champion. Schumacher passed after five laps, and the Mercedes star regained position ten laps later.
Up front, Leclerc caused anxious moments among Verstappen fans early on. The Monegasse was significantly faster, “I can’t stop him much longer,” the world champion radioed to his pits. And that’s how it was, after just 12 laps Leclerc took the lead. Red Bull then chose a new strategy, brought Verstappen early to change tires. He dropped back, but was now significantly faster than the two Ferraris in front in third place. When Leclerc and Sainz also stopped shortly before the halfway point in the race, Verstappen initially passed them.
However, Leclerc was able to rely on the speed of his Ferrari, passed quite quickly, and the process was repeated after the second stop. Verstappen was not at all happy with his car and complained about fluctuating grip. In view of the engine damage at Sainz, it was another anxious final phase for Ferrari, and Leclerc also complained about problems with the accelerator towards the end.