Max Verstappen has not failed in Austria. He doesn’t usually do it and less at home Red Bull. Charles Leclerc, which surprised him last year at the Spielberg circuit, has tried to repeat the script, but this time Ferrari’s has found an insurmountable wall. The leader of the Formula 1 World Championship, in a state of grace, has been intractable at the wheel of the RB19 and has reaped his seventh victory in nine grand prix. The Dutchman has completed a dream weekendwith victory also in the sprint race on Saturday, and leaves the Red Bull Ring with 33 more points in his account and a total of 228, with 79 of rent over his teammate Sergio Perez.
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???? Sprint Pole, Sprint Win, GP Pole and GP Win.
⚡️ Oh! And Fast Lap. #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/5qAazNBhp0
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The Mexican, under pressure due to his poor results in recent weeks, completed a sensational comeback from 15th on the grid to finish third on the podium, led by Verstappen ahead of Leclerc. Carlos Sainz he missed his chance and had to settle for fourth positionalthough he has paved the way for his teammate to achieve a great result for Ferrari. He has had less success this time Fernando Alonsowho has only been able to gain one place to finish sixth.
Sainz, braking
When the lights went out, Verstappen got away and Leclerc kept second position with Sainzwhile Alonso, the only driver who has opted for hard tires to try a one-stop strategy, has won the game from his teammate Stroll and has placed sixth, in the wake of Norris.
A Tsunona exit from the track on the first lap littered the track with carbon fiber debris and led to the first safety car. Verstappen has had no problem to recover the distance with the Ferrari as soon as the action has been relaunched.
Sainz has thrown himself on top of his teammate Leclerc, but they have stopped him from the wall: “Keep in line with the plam and don’t attack now.” The man from Madrid, who had a margin with Lewis Hamilton (more than 3 seconds), has obeyed orders, however incomprehensible it may seem since it was evident Carlos had more rhythm: “I should try to go for Max”, he suggested.
A breakdown of Hülkenberg’s Haas after 14 laps led to a virtual safety car. Ferrari has opted for a double pit stop, very slow in the case of Sainz, who has fallen to sixth place. Alonso also stopped while Hamilton received a 5-second penalty for track limits.
Carlos has not given up and has shown that he had the pace to aspire to everything. He has surpassed Hamilton on the outside and then has given an account of Checo Pérez, who was still on the track with 18-lap tires. He has also been able to with the Mexican and has recovered the third place. Going so far has had its price and the commissioners have also penalized the Spaniard.
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Pressure on the leader
Ahead, Verstappen kept Leclerc at bay, 14 seconds away, although Red Bull’s decision to continue on the track with old tires has allowed the Monegasque to close the gap with Max. The championship leader stopped on lap 25 and rejoined just behind Sainz, who was unable to block him and prevent him from going for Leclerc, who had inherited the provisional lead.
Verstappen, with tough ones, was approaching Leclerc with a fast lap and those from Maranello began to suffer from degradation. “It’s higher than expected. What do you think about going three stops?”, they asked the Monegasque, not at all convinced by the suggestion.
Max came like a ‘missile’, with a brutal speed differential compared to the Ferrariwhom he has ‘hunted’ to regain the lead halfway through the race, with 35 laps to go.
Alonso, in his particular ‘war’
Alonso, who this weekend has not been able to shine as expected in a circuit with “too many straights” and nothing favorable to his Aston Martin, he has concentrated on his particular fight for fifth place with Lewis Hamilton. Nor have the Mercedes performed at their best at the Red Bull Ring and the seven-time champion has been losing steam with the tough ones. Lewis seemed easy ‘prey’ for Fernando, but from behind, Checo had been launched with Red Bull.
Hamilton has fulfilled the 5 seconds in his stop, like Sainz, who has lost the position with Pérez. Leclerc’s pit stop has allowed the Mexican to complete a great comeback and the two Red Bulls have taken the lead of the race for the first time. Alonso returned to the track sixth, behind Norris and had to settle for that position at the end.
Verstappen made his last stop with 21 laps to go and the end of the race was shaping up to be a fight for the podium between Checo and the two Ferrari men. The fight between Sainz and the Mexican pilot has been intense. Carlos, all honor, has defended himself tooth and nail, although the Red Bull man has finally imposed the law on him.
What a way to defend yourself! What a way to withstand Pérez’s attacks! Bravo, @CarlosSainz55! #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/thJ6YVKyaT
— F1 in Movistar Plus+ (@movistar_F1) July 2, 2023
Thanks to the teamwork of the MadridLeclerc has been able to approach the final stages with enough distance over the one from Guadalajara to secure the second on the podium, to which he has climbed escorted by the two Red Bull men. Verstappen, with 42 victories, overtakes Ayrton Senna in the historical ranking and makes it clear that, today, he has no rival.
2023-07-02 14:30:00
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