Max Verstappen dominates the 2023 Austrian Sprint Qualifying and race to extend his title lead.
Having already secured pole for the Grand Prix, Verstappen proceeded to dominate a very dry race from which he comfortably won to extend his title lead slightly.
At lights out, Verstappen held his nerve to take the lead on the opening lap and from there on in he began to extend his lead.
The top 5 remained the same with Perez having a poor qualifying session was in P12 and making gains at the top.
On lap 14 we had a change in the field with Nico Hulkenberg losing power in sector 1 and pulled off the track down an escape road.
This brought out the VSC where everyone bar the two Red Bull cars pitting for alternative tyre strategies.
Penalties where also being carried out for track limits. Hamilton, Sainz and Tsuonda to name a few as the race developed.
On Lap 25 Verstappen pitted which meant Leclerc was the new race leader. This was the first time he lead a GP since Azerbaijan. Sainz was also up into P2 as Verstappen was now on the attack.
A lap later Vertappen took P2 and had his eyes set on P1. On lap 35 Super Max retook the lead and held on that position to the very end.
He also nicked the fastest lap of the race from his team mate Perez who recovered brilliantly to take P3. Making brilliant moves on Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz along the way.
Leclerc gave his all but in the end he had to settle for second place. Sainz finished forth with Norris rounding up the Top 5 places.
6) Alonso 7) Hamilton 8) Russell 9) Gasly 10) Stroll with the final points paying positions. Until Aston Martin launched a protest in relation to incidents of breaches of track limits – predominately at Turns 9 and 10 – not being correctly identified and penalised.
The FIA then revealed that it had been unable to review in excess of 1200 reports of violations of drivers having strayed over the painted white lines with all four wheels during the 71-lap race.
As a result of the full review, Sainz has dropped two places to sixth in the final classification. The Spaniard subsequently falls behind McLaren driver Lando Norris and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Similarly, Mercedes driver Hamilton has been moved from a five to 10-second penalty to fall a place behind his team-mate George Russell to eighth.
Pierre Gasly (now 10th in the final results). This would be win no42 for Verstappen. Half of those have come in the last 14 months.
A fifth win in a row for Max Verstappen, he is cruising towards a hat-trick of world championship titles.
