Max Verstappen triumphs once again, this time in Austria, marking his third sprint race victory of the Formula 1 season. The Red Bull Ring saw Verstappen’s usual dominance, while his rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were busy battling each other.
The race kicked off with a minor incident: a few photographers were found in a dangerous position at turn 1, leading to a last-minute start cancellation. This caused a delay in the sprint race. After an additional warm-up lap – leaving only 23 racing laps – Verstappen, starting from pole position, maintained the lead. However, he immediately had his hands full with the McLaren duo, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
After five laps, Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen but overshot. The Dutchman quickly fought back and regained the lead. Piastri, benefiting from the fight ahead, moved up to second place. He was next to challenge Verstappen, but the Dutchman managed to keep the Australian at bay. Norris’ offensive seemed to have faded, forcing him to concede ground to the men ahead.
The Briton recovered and seemed to get another chance to chase Verstappen from second place. However, he couldn’t get past his teammate Piastri, allowing Verstappen to gradually extend his lead. The Dutchman eventually cruised to a splendid victory.
Behind the leading trio, Mercedes and Ferrari drivers were scrapping for the remaining top spots, with George Russell emerging as the winner. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Pérez, once again failed to impress in the Red Bull. He had to settle for a meager point in eighth place, ahead of the regular qualifying round on Saturday afternoon at 8:00 AM UST.
Results
Find out everything about the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix here.
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