Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was dominant throughout this past weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, which took place at the Red Bull Ring and served as round ten of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship.
After claiming pole and winning the Sprint race, the reigning world champion went on to win the main event, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and teammate Sergio Perez, who took second and third, respectively. Verstappen managed to build up a lead of 24 seconds in the final third of the race, providing him with enough of a gap to pit for a set of soft tires and claim the bonus point for the fastest lap.
Verstappen was joined by Leclerc at the front of the grid at the start of the race, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Lando Norris behind them. Perez meanwhile had to start from 15th on the grid after another disastrous qualifying session. He failed to reach Q3 for the fourth successive weekend after losing all three of his Q2 laps to track limits, where all four wheels of the car cross the track’s white boundary line.
Track limits also proved to be an issue during the race for a total eight drivers, who received various time penalties: The list included Sainz, Mercedes-Benz AMG’s Lewis Hamilton, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, Williams’ Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant, and AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda.
2023 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix
There were few additional dramas, though Tsunoda tangled with one of the Alpines at the start of the race, damaging his front wing and causing the safety car to emerge while debris was cleared. The virtual safety car would later be required when Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg was forced to retire due to power unit issues.
For Ferrari, the race proved the effectiveness of recent upgrades, among which were new designs for the front wing and floor. It was clear that both drivers could maintain a strong pace throughout the entire race.
In Sainz’s case, there were spectacular overtaking moves, while also confirmation of progress made with tire management. And for Leclerc, it was a podium finish for the first time this season.
Following the weekend’s action, Verstappen has a clear lead in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship with his total of 229 points, versus the 148 points of Perez in second. Third in the standings is Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso with 131 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 377 points, versus the 178 of Mercedes in second and 175 of Aston Martin in third. The next race on the calendar is the British Grand Prix on this coming weekend.
Max Verstappen at the 2023 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix – Photo credit: Getty Images
Below are the full results from the 2023 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +5.155 seconds
3) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +17.188 seconds
4) Lando Norris, McLaren +26.327 seconds
5) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +30.317 seconds
6) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +31.377 seconds
7) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +48.403 seconds
8) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +49.196 seconds
9) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +59.043 seconds
10) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +67.667 seconds
11) Alexander Albon, Williams +79.767 seconds
12) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
13) Logan Sargeant, Williams +1 lap
14) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1 lap
15) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
16) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +1 lap
17) Nyck De Vries, AlphaTauri +1 lap
18) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
19) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +1 lap
20) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas – DNF