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With the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola due to the extremely adverse weather conditions, Formula 1 is about to start the second sprint weekend of the year. Will the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s home race, see Max Verstappen and his team extend their domination or will it be someone else’s chance to shine? For sure, the Anglo-Austrian team seems unbeatable, having won all the races so far, but the particular design of the Styrian circuit, which is short (4.318 km) and extremely fast (a lap is completed in around 1'04"0 in qualifying), could potentially lead to a closer race and give a chance to teams like Aston Martin, Mercedes, or Ferrari to interrupt Red Bull’s cavalcade towards the 2023 title. In case of victory, Max Verstappen would become the most successful driver in the history of the Austrian Grand Prix, with four victories. Verstappen has already triumphed in the 2018, 2019 and 2021 editions, sharing the lead with Alain Prost and Jo Siffert, the latter winner of two editions not valid for the Formula 1 championship. The Red Bull Racing team, in case of success, would get the tenth consecutive victory, considering the triumph in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022, the last race of the previous season. Furthermore, the Scuderia Ferrari would reach the eight hundredth podium in its history if it finish among the top three. With the Sprint Race event, he expects an interesting and promising weekend, ready to give his all:
"The Canadian GP was a difficult but fun weekend. There was some good overtaking, and we were able to fight for points on-track. Since then, I've been back at the MTC and in the sim this week to prepare for Australia. The Red Bull Ring is one of my favorite circuits. It holds a lot of good memories for me, having scored my first podium there. It's a Sprint weekend too, which always makes it more interesting. It's all looking promising, so we'll get out there and give it our all".
Oscar Piastri was pleased with his Canadian debut despite a frustrating Q3, finishing Sunday just outside the top 10. He highlighted the learning and detail review with his engineers at the MTC during the week. He can't wait to get back to the Red Bull Ring, this time driving an F1 car. He appreciated the new Sprint format in Baku and is excited to live that experience again next weekend, hoping to score points for the team:
"I'm happy with my Canada debut. After a frustrating Q3, my Sunday ended just shy of the top 10. There was a lot of learning, and my engineers and I went over everything at the MTC this week. I'm looking forward to returning to the Red Bull Ring, this time in an F1 car. I quite enjoyed the new Sprint format in Baku, so I'm looking forward to experiencing that again this weekend and hopefully bring back some points for the team".
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Team Principal, is showing mixed emotions after the Canadian Grand Prix. Whilst it is unfortunate that Lando's five second time penalty resulted in a relegation to 13th position, they showed an improved performance and both cars battled for the points. Now they will focus their efforts on the double round which starts with Austria this weekend. The Austrian race will also be a weekend with the Sprint format. With just one practice session, they will try to be ready right away and competitive on a circuit where they have obtained positive results in previous years:
"We return from Canada with mixed feelings. On one hand it's a shame that the five second penalty given to Lando resulted in a demotion to P13, but on the other hand we showed better pace and both cars were fighting for points. We now shift our focus to this double-header starting with Austria this weekend. The Austrian GP is also a Sprint race weekend. With only one practice session, we will look to try and be ready straight away and be competitive at a track in which we had positive results in previous years".
The Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff, claims that there have been several positive aspects at the race in Canada. Despite failing to get both cars to the finish, the podium was a solid result and they saw encouraging signs from the upgraded package:
"There were plenty of positives to take from the last race in Canada. Although we didn't get both cars to the checked flag, a podium was a solid result and we saw encouraging signs from our updated package. Austria is always a special weekend, as it's my home race and I have good memories from the track; both with the team but also from my early years racing there and teaching as an instructor. It's also the second Sprint of the season so it will be interesting to see the impact it has on the weekend, at a more traditional circuit. It's a short lap in Spielberg and looks straightforward on paper; several long straights broken up by a range of slow, medium-speed and fast corners. But it's a challenging one to put together and get right. We will aim to build on the momentum we have generated over the past two races and continue our positive trajectory with the car. It's a venue where the W14 should perform better than in Canada, but we won't take anything for granted. As always, we will be working hard to maximize our performance and deliver strong results".
At Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen says:
"This is the second Sprint race of the season, they are always more hectic and complex compared to a normal race. The weather looks a bit unpredictable too so it will definitely mix things up a little bit. Of course Austria is a home race for us.I'm looking forward to seeing all the support again at the track, hopefully we'll put on a good show for everyone in the grandstands.We always enjoy coming back to Austria and I'm excited to try to add another trophy to the collection for the Team. We've had some good results there already so let's see what we can do. I had some fun in the lead up to the race with Yuki too. We drove some mega trucks in a quarry, we had a fun day together and it's always nice to see Red Bull coming up with crazy things for us to do".
His teammate Sergio Perez continues:
"It's always a great race in Austria, it's obviously the home of Red Bull and that makes it extra special for all of us in the Team. I also can't believe how many Mexicans fans make the trip, every year on the green carpet arriving into the circuit I see the Mexico flag, which makes me smile.For me my focus will be on track though because I know how important it is for me to have a consistent weekend and really produces a result, I know I am capable of. The weather looks like it could be tricky and it's a Sprint weekend so time in the car to set-up will be minimal and critical, we must maximize every moment we have to prepare. I had fun at the last Sprint weekend in Baku and it was a very successful time but at a very different circuit. I want to achieve the same again but know I need to step up to achieve that".
At Ferrari, after the Canadian Grand Prix, the team prepares for the European races, starting with a double appointment in Austria and England. In Spielberg they face the second Sprint weekend of the year, with only one hour of free practice before qualifying. The team worked hard in the factory and in the simulator to get ready, concentrating on the performance of the SF-23 and aiming for a smooth weekend to achieve a good result. These are the words of team principal Frédéric Vasseur:
"After Canada, we now return to complete the European leg of the season taking in some of the classic venues on the calendar, starting with back-to-back races in Austria and England. In Spielberg, we will tackle the second Sprint weekend of the year, which means that Charles, Carlos and the 18 other drivers all get just one hour of free practice before tackling qualifying. We have therefore spent plenty of time working hard in the factory and simulator to be as well prepared as possible. Our main focus has been on ensuring that our drivers can get the most out of the SF-23 package, as indeed they were able to do in the race in Montreal. We're looking to have a straightforward weekend all the way through from Friday to Sunday and if we manage it, then I'm sure we can bring home a good result".
The Spanish Carlos Sainz Jr. claims that the Canadian Grand Prix was a real boost of confidence for the whole team, including the drivers, thanks to the good performance of the car:
"The Canadian Grand Prix was a real confidence boost for everyone in the team including we drivers, because we had a car that performed consistently so that we could push during the race and make up places. I'm sure we made progress in Montreal, even if the track layout probably helped us. The result there was nothing special, a fourth and a fifth place, but the perception from our point of view was clearly different and I think I can say it was our best race of the season.Having said that, it's hard to see how we can compete at the same level as Red Bull at the moment, despite the upgrades we have brought here On that topic, I want to thank everyone at Maranello, because they really made a big effort. The important thing is to stay focused and continue to get everything out of the car. This weekend we have the Sprint format, which means it is vital to start off on the right foot right from the only free practice session in the early afternoon tomorrow".
Charles Leclerc declares:
"First of all, we want to check, at a different track to Canada, the progress we saw there, where we were able to count on a car that performed consistently in the race. If we can confirm the step forward we took in Montreal, then we can race on a regular basis against Aston Martin and Mercedes, which would already be an important step, given that so far this season we have usually had to defend.We will have some new parts on the car that we will try in free practice tomorrow and we hope they can help us even more. The Sprint weekend favors those who have prepared well for the races back in the factory and I think that's the case for our team. In general, I like it because every day there's something important: tomorrow it's qualifying, then on Saturday it's the Sprint day and on Sunday the Grand Prix. On top of that, I really like this circuit because some parts of it remind me of a karting track. There is a chance of rain this weekend, for tomorrow and mainly for Saturday, but Leclerc is not too worried about that. On a qualifying lap in heavy rain, we have seen that we are competitive, just as we are in the dry, so I think we can be in the fight. Our race pace is still an unknown quantity, but as I said, we want to check it on this type of track".
On Friday, June 30, 2023, day of the first free practice sessions and qualifying, Max Verstappen is ready for the challenge presented by the Sprint Race. The Dutchman can count on the best car on the grid, driven on a racetrack that has seen triumph more than everyone in Formula 1:
"This is the second Sprint race of the season, they are always more hectic and complex compared to a normal race. The weather looks a bit unpredictable too so it will definitely mix things up a little bit. Of course Austria is a home race for us. I’m looking forward to seeing all the support again at the track, hopefully we’ll put on a good show for everyone in the grandstands. We always enjoy coming back to Austria and I’m excited to try to add another trophy to the collection for the Team. We’ve had some good results there already so let’s see what we can do. I had some fun in the lead up to the race with Yuki too. We drove some mega trucks in a quarry, we had a fun day together and it’s always nice to see Red Bull coming up with crazy things for us to do".
Definitely not a race to be homesick for Sergio Perez: the Mexican driver is followed on his team’s home race by many fellow countrymen ready to support him. Perez does not want to disappoint them, but he knows that there are many challenges, one them possibly being the weather:
"It’s always a great race in Austria, it’s obviously the home of Red Bull and that makes it extra special for all of us in the Team. I also can’t believe how many Mexican fans make the trip, every year on the green carpet arriving into the circuit I see the Mexico flag, which makes me smile. For me my focus will be on track though because I know how important it is for me to have a consistent weekend and really produce a result, I know I am capable of. The weather looks like it could be tricky and it’s a Sprint weekend so time in the car to set-up will be minimal and critical, we must maximise every moment we have to prepare. I had fun at the last Sprint weekend in Baku and it was a very successful time but at a very different circuit. I want to achieve the same again but know I need to step up to achieve that".
As in every sprint weekend since the introduction of the new format, drivers have just one hour of free practice available to find the limit of their cars. Unsurprisingly, it is Max Verstappen who comes out on top, even though he sets the fastest time in the final stages of the session. In fact, the lead is held for a good part of the session by Lewis Hamilton, who is the first driver on track with Pirelli hard tyres. Then it is Ferrari’s turn: first Leclerc and then Sainz steal P1 from the seven-time world champion using soft tyres, which seem to highlight the effectiveness of the upgrades Ferrari has brought to Austria. But then, after three slow laps to reach the perfect working range of the various components, Verstappen goes P1 with a 1’05’’742, remarkably using medium tyres. Other notable drivers to use the medium compound are Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso. The final classification is the following: Verstappen, Sainz, Leclerc, Hamilton, Pérez, Stroll, Magnussen, Alonso, Russell, Zhou, Albon, Piastri, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Tsunoda, De Vries, Sargeant, Ocon, Gasly, Norris. With free practice done and dusted, qualifying for Sunday’s race awaits the best drivers in the world. In Q1 Valtteri Bottas spins at the exit of turn 1 but manages to grab the last spot available for Q2, eliminating Tsunoda. Russell remains on the line for the whole session but in the end manages to save himself with provisional P10. The fastest time is set by Max Verstappen with 1'05"116, closely followed by his teammate Perez (+0.061) and Lando Norris (+0.063), who seems to have found a solution to the problems encountered during FP1. As always, five drivers are out: Tsunoda, Zhou, Sargeant, Magnussen, and De Vries. Q2 provides drama as Perez gets eliminated.
The Mexican driver sets three fast laps, the last of which puts him in second place right behind his teammate, but all three are deleted because of track limits. Track limits are a serious issue on this circuit, with hundreds of laps cancelled also in junior categories like F2 and F3. The trickiest corners are turn 9 and 10, where drivers are more tempted to use the outside kerb to keep cornering speed and tend to exceed the track limits with all four wheels. Same fate as Perez for Ocon, who commits his infringement at the last corner. A third big name is in the knock-out section of the time sheets: George Russell simply lacks pace in Q2 and gets eliminated. The five drivers out of Q3 are (in order) Russell, Ocon, Piastri, Bottas, and Perez, who will start from P15 on the grid. Verstappen is again fastest (1'04"951), followed by Sainz (+0.085), and again Norris (+0.087) in P3. In his first Q3 attempt Verstappen sets the fastest time with a 1'04"503. Leclerc posts the best middle sector but it is not sufficient and settles momentarily for P2 with a time of 1’04’’709. It is clear that once again the pole position will be decided between these two, like practically on every occasion when they have had a competitive car in the last few years. An honorable mention goes to Nico Hulkenberg, who, due to the deleted times, makes it to Q3 and is 9th after the first attempt. Verstappen improves in his second attempt and secures the pole position number 26 of his career with a time of 1'04"391. Alonso goes momentarily third but is beaten by Stroll, then Sainz goes to P2. Hulkenberg incredibly improves to 7th (1'05"090). Leclerc also improves and marks again the best middle sector, but two slides in the last two corners, especially at turn 9, probably cost him pole position. Leclerc is second with a time of 1'04"439. In the final moments Hamilton beats both Aston Martins and claims P5. The final classification of qualifying is Verstappen (1'04"391), Leclerc (+0.048), Sainz (+0.190), Norris (+0.267), Hamilton (+0.428), Stroll (+0.502), Alonso (+0.520), Hulkenberg (+0.699), Gasly (+0.779), Albon (+1.432). Christian Horner praises the defending world champion after another pole position and a very tight qualifying session:
"It was a difficult session today, it’s very hard to see the white lines as we can see from the number of infringements, but a superb job from Max to get that pole despite needing to be a little more conservative due to track limits. For Checo it was more frustrating, he had the pace and was putting in similar lap times to Max but unfortunately, he had three deleted lap times. He’ll be incredibly frustrated, but he’s got the full support of the Team and we all know what he’s capable of, he’ll turn the page and race hard for the rest of the weekend. This track is one you can overtake on, you can see the Ferraris had great pace and Charles was just half a tenth off at the end, so the weekend offers some tough but exciting racing".
Charles Leclerc misses the opportunity to repeat his performance in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when he qualified on pole. However, the Monegasque feels he has had the chance to push and fully exploit the car’s potential. Besides, Leclerc does not hesitate to thank his team for upgrading the car earlier than scheduled for this season. The new aero package, which includes a new front wing and floor to improve the rear stability at high speed, has certainly played its part and Leclerc aims to confirm the result on Sunday:
"It feels good to finally have a clean qualifying again and to be back on the front row. The feeling from the car has been a bit better in the last three races and then in Q1 and Q2, it was all about building up to that lap in Q3 and I managed to put everything into that last lap and got very close to Max. We hadn’t expected to be that close to the Red Bull so it’s a good step forward and I would like to thank everyone back at the factory for all the work they have done in the last few weeks in order to bring an update package at Spielberg, earlier than planned. It’s really impressive and helped us to perform well today. Now we need to confirm that in the races, tomorrow and Sunday. Starting from the Sprint we need to focus on consistency and we will see on Sunday if we have the same race pace as in Montreal".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is right behind his teammate. The Spaniard comes from a solid qualifying but laments the penalty system related to track limits infringements. Sainz underlines that there should be more promptness by the stewards’ panel in giving sanctions so that the drivers do not have to make rush decisions or, as in his case, waste a set of tyres:
"Overall it was a positive day for me and the team as we will start second and third on Sunday for the GP. The car was good all day and I was fast from the start, which is always a good sign. We don't have much indication of our race pace compared to our rivals but we look forward to tomorrow's and Saturday's races. Despite the good result, I think we need to work together with the FIA to find a better system to make quicker and more efficient decisions on infractions regarding track limits. In Q2 in fact I had achieved a good time and was in the garage with my mind already on Q3 when I had to go out again, as there were doubts about my lap, and I had to use the set of Soft tires we had set aside for tomorrow's Sprint qualifying".
Ferrari’s Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur is satisfied with the team’s progress since Canada. The red drivers have been amongst the few to be almost never involved in the track limits madness and they have produced a solid effort to qualify in front, only behind an almost unbeatable Verstappen. Now the goal is to grab many points in the races on Saturday and Sunday:
"As we expected we witnessed a hectic qualifying here in Austria. I have to congratulate both Charles and Carlos because they made no mistakes by always staying within the limits of the track and were competitive from start to finish. Of course, the 48 thousandths difference from pole burns a bit, but we have to look at the positives, and there are quite a few. In Montreal in the race we took a good step forward, and here we want to confirm that. Of course, the Sprint weekend is much tighter since there is only one free practice session and we also had some updates to check on the track: both Charles and Carlos benefited from them, and for that I want to thank everyone who worked day and night in Maranello to allow us to fit the new components as early as this weekend. We have a special day ahead of us tomorrow, with qualifying and a Sprint race that will also allow us to work towards Sunday's Grand Prix. We have to stay focused, the weekend is still long but we have started it in the right way".
In a tough day for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton remains a beacon of hope for the Brackley-based team, claiming an excellent P5. The seven-time world champion has qualified ahead of both Aston Martins, who are the direct rivals in the constructor championship. Hamilton brings home what he can and prepares for the incoming challenges:
"It was a tough session today, but thankfully we got through it. This track has always been a challenge for our car in the past and it showed again today, so I'll take P5. It's a good, strong position to start the race from on Sunday. I'm not quite sure yet, where exactly we stand with our race pace, possibly we're third or fourth quickest. We're trying to focus on us and to get around as quick as we can, so we will work hard overnight and try to do better in sprint qualifying tomorrow, depending on weather conditions and temperatures".
George Russell shows his disappointment after a difficult qualifying. The reduced time available in free practice has not been sufficient for the Brit and his team to find the right set-up. With lack of confidence, it is always difficult to find the limit and P11 is the direct consequence. Russell hopes to overturn his fate by working overnight on the performance and then give it 100% in the race to gain some positions:
"We weren't quick enough today and from the first laps in the practice session I didn't have the best feel of the car. Obviously, it's challenging going into a sprint race weekend like this, as you just don't have the time to make necessary changes. We'll see what we can do overnight going into tomorrow and how we can improve ahead of the sprint qualifying. P11 is clearly not the best starting position for Sunday, but we've had some good results starting from further down the field this year so I'm hopeful we can fight our way back during the race".
McLaren experiences an exceptional qualifying, at least with one of his drivers. Lando Norris seems to have perfectly exploited the new aero package the Woking-based team has brought (forward) to Austria. The upgrades, which McLaren planned for the home race at Silverstone, include new Red-Bull-inspired sidepods with ‘downward’ design and Aston-Martin-inspired canals, a new halo, and a new floor. Despite having run just 17 laps in free practice and not a single one on soft tyres and being apparently condemned to the back foot, Norris and the team have found the way to make everything work. The young Brit does not hide his joy:
"I'm super happy with P4. It was one of the best qualifying sessions of the season. The car was feeling good today, I had a lot of confidence and was chipping away through qualifying so I'm happy. The team did an awesome job on getting the upgrades ready for this race and they did a great job today to get us there. I think I could've had a little bit more as I made a small mistake in the last corner, which likely cost me P3, so I am a little bit frustrated, but at the same time, I'm taking a P4 every day. So, I'm happy, we're in a good position for Sunday and we'll try to do the same again tomorrow".
Oscar Piastri is less fortunate than his teammate. The Aussie will have the right to the new components at the next race in Silverstone, as it often happens in Formula 1, where upgrades are introduced only for one car. Being stuck with the old version of the MCL60, Piastri does his best to qualify as high as he can. The McLaren rookie has got pace and is able to fight to enter Q3 but a lap deletion relegates him to 13th place:
"So, P13 in qualifying. It's a bit of a shame as I would have been in Q3 without the lap deletion. The pace was very encouraging for both myself and Lando. The new upgrade is looking good, so a huge thank you to the team for all of their work. We'll try again tomorrow to get into the top 10 and then, of course, for Sunday, we'll try to make our way into the points if we can".
McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella, looks back at a qualifying that could have been better. The team has missed out on a potential double Q3 finish, but the upgrades on the car seem to work and optimism grows ahead of the home GP:
"Today feels a little bittersweet. From a car performance point of view, we should have had two cars in Q3 but unfortunately, Oscar had a lap-time deleted. This was a situation that many endured today, and we know it is a factor in Austria. On the other side of the garage, Lando's performance with the upgraded car was encouraging, as he was consistently near the top of each session, but we will learn more over the weekend, especially in terms of race pace. I would like to thank the team at the factory and trackside for the efforts that led to delivering the upgrades and for the hard work ongoing at McLaren, as we attempt to gain competitiveness".
On Saturday, July 1, 2023, the teams are ready for the second Sprint shootout and race of this 2023 season. Compared to the Azerbaijan’ Sprint race, this time there are very particular conditions on track because the circuit is wet but there is a visible dry line in the straight. It is time for Q1 and the drivers have 12 minutes to make it through Q2. Evreryone is warming out his tyres on track. Teams make mixed choices for tyres also because the track is declared wet, so they are not obliged to use new medium tyres for Q1. 10 minutes to go and Ocon opens the dances. He scores 17.986s in the first sector, 49.980s in the second, and completes his first best in 1'12"208. Russel on soft tyres gets a purple in first sector (48.537s) and scores 1'10"819. A yellow flag waves on the first sector but it lasts a few as the track is clear. Hamilton on soft climbs to P1 (1'10"424) but Alonso, on softs, manages to complete his lap in 1'10"333. Leclerc on softs scores 1'12"854 and goes fourth fastest. His teammate Sainz flags some issue related to the brake so goes back to the box. It’s the turn of Max Verstappen. The Dutch on medium tyres scores a purple in the 2nd sector and goes first in 1'10"201, followed by Tsunoda on softs (+0.063), Alonso on softs (+0.132), Hamilton on softs (+0.223), Magnussen on mediums (+0.286), Russell on softs (+0.618), De Vries on softs (0.771), Hulkenberg on softs (+0.869), and Ocon on softs (+1.096). Perez, also on softs, goes 10th in 1'11"499, followed by Norris (+2.386), Stroll (+2.589), Leclerc on softs (+2.653), who has slipped down to P13 in the meantime, Bottas on mediums (1'13"504), and Gasly on softs (+11.688). Sainz, Zhou, Albon, Piastri, and Sergeant have not scored a best yet. Hamilton on softs scores a purple in the second sector and goes first in 1'08"960.
His ex-McLaren teammate Alonso on softs scores +1.682 in the second sector and raises his foot to try again a new best. In the meantime, the FIA stewards announce that Verstappen’s time - 1'10"201 - is deleted due to track limits at Turn 9. Tsunoda on softs goes first in 1'08"451, but it lasts a few as Piastri on softs goes first in 1'08"303, followed by Russell at +0.089. Gasly on softs goes on P14 (+1.605). New announcement from the FIA Stewards: Zhou’s time is deleted due to track limits at Turn 9 lap. Norris on softs takes the lead with 1'07"755, while Alonso goes second (+0.177) scoring a purple in the last sector. New announcement from the FIA Stewards: Perez’ time is deleted 1'11"499 to track limits lap 3. Leclerc scores +0.507 in the second sector and goes in P7 (+0.803). Sergeant’s time (1'08"609) is deleted as well as he went off the track and continued at Turn 9, lap 5. Five minutes to the end of Q1. Sainz has not scored a best yet and the five drivers at risk are Gasly (+2.153), Bottas, who is now out on mediums, Zhou (+2.380), Sergeant (+2.789), and Sainz no time. Albon scores a fastest second sector (28.762) and goes first in 1.07.506 putting Magnussen at risk. Perez gets a purple in the second sector (29.548) and from P10 goes first in 1'07"214. His teammate Verstappen on mediums from P9 goes second in +0.129, scoring the fastest last sector (20.673). Piastri from P5 goes P7 (+0.974). He says to his team:
"Got massively impeded by the Ferrari".
Meanwhile Leclerc is back to the box for a quick tyres change. Norris gets a purple in the second sector (29.485s) and goes fifth fastest (+0.670). Hamilton scores +0.268 and goes third (+0.197). 3 minutes to the end of Q1. Ferrari’s mechanics are still working on Sainz’ car. Hulkenberg goes impressively second at +0.103. Hamilton goes first in 1'06"624.
The FIA Stewards announce that an impeding between Piastri and Leclerc has been noted. Stroll goes seventh +0.606, while Tsunoda improves again and goes third (1'06"896). Piastri goes from P15 to P5 (+0.482). Leclerc from P18 scores +0.109 in the second and goes to P16 (+1.106), remaining in the drop zone temporarily but he still has time to try again. Norris scores his best at 1'06"723 at 55 seconds to the end but it lasts a few as Verstappen this time on soft tyres, scores a purple first sector and goes first in 1'06"236. Sainz goes out in a rush to try to shoot his time at 2 minutes to the end of Q1 to save himself from the elimination.
"No warm up no warm up".
Says his team.
"One time lap. One time lap".
Albon scores -0.033 in the second sector, and goes from P15 to P3 (+0.169). Leclerc from P16 goes P8 in 1'07"061 and manages to save himself from the elimination zone. Bottas goes from P18 to P15. It’ Sainz’s turn. He scores purple in the first sector (16.549s), +0.084 in the second and goes from P20 to the lead in 1'06"187, making a Herculean task. Zhou improves and takes P14 (+0.875) while Magnussen goes fifth in 1'06"629. Stroll goes fourth (+0.424). The countdown stops and Q1 ends. Sainz is in P1 1'06"187, followed by Verstappen +0.049, Hulkenber +0.361, Strolll +0.382, Alonso +0.424, Magnussen +0.442, Russell +0.466, De Vries +0.517, Norris +0.536, and Ocon +0.653. Gasly is in P11 +0.686, followed by Albon +0.705, Tsunoda +0.709, Perez +0.737, and Leclerc saved himself from elimination for a thousand (+0.001). The drivers eliminated are Zhou, Piastri (+0.045), Hamilton (+0.221), Bottas (+0.230), and Sergeant (+0.365). Asks Lewis to his team:
"This timing is really really bad. Am I out?"
Q2 is about to start and the drivers are waiting on the pitlane. 10 minutes to make through Q3. Max on used soft tyres and scores 16.445s in the first sector, 45.602s in the second, and goes first in 1'05"624. Norris is straight behind him at +0.385, followed by Ocon (+0.520), Magnussen (+0.530), Perez (+0.545), and Devries (+0.969). Albon goes eight (+0.806), followed by Hulkenberg, Tsunoda (+0.854), and Gasly (+0.884). De Vries slips down to P12 (+0.969), followed by Leclerc (+0.995), Sainz (+0.239), and Russell with no time; the Briton has flagged some issues on his car and the Mercedes’ mechanics are trying to get it ready before the countdown will eliminate him. Sainz and Leclerc try again. Sainz goes second fastest to Verstappen’s time, while Leclerc goes P9 (+0.713). Hulkenberg tries again and improves in first and second sectors and from P11 climbs to P7 (+0.538). Alonso improves his first sector, and scores a purple in the last sector, taking P4 (+0.298). De Vries goes eleventh (+0.086), but his teammate manages to take his P11 spot (+0.031). Albon on soft tyres goes ninth (+0.528) at 4 minutes to the end of Q2. Drivers at risks are Tsunoda, Leclerc (+0.183), De Vries (+0.269), Gasly (+0.354) and Russell (no time). The English driver will not try any best because his car has an hydraulic issue and is impossible to fix it before the end of Q2. In the meantime, Max goes first in 1'05"624. Magnussen on new softs goes on from 10 to P2 (+0.136). Ocon on new softs scores purple in the third sector (19.829s) and goes first 1'05"604. De Vries’ time is deleted due to track limits. Sainz Jr. goes first in 1'05"434, while Leclerc on soft scores +0.110 compared to Albon’s 1'16"525, the last driver to qualify for Q3, (+0.957) in twelfth position. Verstappen’s time of 1'06"793 is deleted due to track limits and Hulkenberg is investigated for an unsafe release, as he has hit a tyre after the pit stop when he was leaving the pitlane. 40 second to the end and Leclerc tries again. Compared to Albon’s time, he scores +0.033 in the first sector, -0.287 in the second, and goes 4th fastest (+0.302). Norris from P7 goes to P5 (+0.328). Verstappen tries again, scores fastest third sector (19.770), and improves his time in 1'05"371. Gasly improves his time but not the position and is excluded from Q3. Q2 ends.
Verstappen is in P1 1'05"371, followed by Sainz Jr. (+0.063), Ocon (+0.233), Leclerc (+0.302), Norris (+0.328), Magnussen (+0.359), Alonso (+0.388), Perez (+0.465), Stroll (+0.543), Hulkenberg (+0.720). Albon (+0.061), Gasly (+0.269), Tsunoda (+0.278), De Vries (+0.502), and Russell (no time) are excluded. It’s time for the last chapter of this qualifying shootout.
"Few spots on turn 1".
Says the Red Bull team to Checo Perez. Verstappen is the first to try his best. On softs, he scores 16.342s in the first sector, 45.129s in the second, and goes first in 1'04"613. Perez on soft scores 16.431s, 45.257s, and 1'05"080. Sainz tries on new medium tyres, as he has not new red tyres left, while Leclerc opts for a one shot with new soft tyres. Ocon takes P3 on soft +1.392. Alonso soft goes fifth +1.023 while his teammate is straight behind him at +1.807. Hulkenberg on new medium tyres takes P5 from Alonso (+0.857) and Magnussen is in P8 (+1.704). Leclerc goes on track at 4 minutes to the end, opens his rear wing and scores +0.190 compared to Verstappen 16.342s, as he makes a mistake in Turn 4 and loses his car’s rear; goes 5fifth (+0.667). Norris on softs keeps P2 (+0.397). Verstappen tries again and scores a purple in the second sector, and completes his lap in 1'04"440. Sainz on used soft tyres at 1.20 minutes to the end tries again. He does not improve his position but a bit his time and keeps P5 (+0.696). Alonso on softs scores +0.279, +0.484, and goes fifth (+0.645). Ocon is in P8 (+0.753). Stroll on mediums gets P7 (+0.734) and Leclerc improves in P6 (+0.805). Q3 Shootout ends. Verstappen is in pole position for the sprint race (1'04"440), followed by his teammate Perez (+0.493), Norris (+0.570), Hulkenberg (+0.664), Sainz (+0.696), Leclerc (+0.805), Alonso (+0.818), Stroll (+0.907), Ocon (+0.926), and Magnussen (+1.472). After the qualifying session, the FIA Stewards decided to give Leclerc a three-place grid penalty for the Sprint after impeding Piastri in Shootout, so the Monegasque will start this sprint race from P9. In the afternoon, it is time to get serious with the second Sprint race of this season. 24 laps to gain crucial points that will however not change the destiny of this championship. Bottas is the only driver to opt for yellow tyres, while the other teams chose the intermediates as it is raining on track. Formation lap starts and drivers slowly slip on track, lifting the water on it and creating a fog.
"Box box box".
Says the Alfa Romeo team to Bottas, who is driving really slowly as it is impossible to manage the car with yellow tyres in these conditions. As Green flag waves and red lights turn on, the Austrian Sprint race start. A huge water fog lifts on track and immediately a battle for the first place takes place. Perez tries to attack his teammate Verstappen from the inside of the track and almost pushes Max outside before Turn 1.
"He pushed me outside man, wtf".
Says Max.
"What’s wrong wit Max?"
Asks Perez. This happened as Max before entering Turn 1 lost a bit the rear of his car and changed his trajectory while steering. Verstappen resists and is wheel-to-wheel with his teammate, followed by Norris who finds a way to get closer to the two Red Bull cars. Max goes temporarily in P2 but he has no intention to give up. At Turn 1, the two teammates risk almost to crash but the incident is avoided and Verstappen manages to take P1. Perez fights strongly and goes again wheel-to-wheel with his teammate. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg manages to slip to the top of the race and join the battle for the first place, even overtaking Perez and taking P2.
On lap 2, Verstappen is leader of the race. Good start for Perez but he lost the battle with Max and Hulkenberg, who overtook him (+1.204). Perez lost a place (+2.065). Sainz is in P4 at +2.807, followed by the two Aston Martin cars. Albon is in P7, followed by Ocon, Leclerc and Norris. Magnussen is in P11, followed by the two Mercedes, Tsunoda, Gasly , Devries, Piastri, Zhou, Sargeant, and Bottas. Rain increases and the last sector of the track is especially concerned. Russell overtakes Magnussen and Hamilton is getting closer, after having gained 5 places overall. Verstappen scores the fastest lap in 1'18"498. Leclerc’s Ferrari seems to struggle a bit due to the low downforce.
"Is the rain coming?"
Asks Russell but his team reassure him that it will be like now all over the race. Leclerc and Ocon start a battle for P8. Before Turn 7, they are wheel-to-wheel but Ocon strenuously defends his place and keeps P7. Leclerc is unwilling to give up but he has to raise his foot to not crash with Ocon, while Norris is ready to engage both to take P7. Norris is at +0.350 to Leclerc but DRS is not enabled yet. On lap 7, Max, who has created a huge gap with all over drivers by gaining a half a second per lap and is far enough not to be bothered by Hulkenberg, scores fastest lap 1'16"467. At lap 8, Hulkenberg makes a mistake and loses a second but luckily Perez is still far from him at +5.5.799. Hamilton Russell, and Magnussen are engaged in a battle for P11, which Magnussen previously gained at Russell’s expenses. Russell and Magnussen are wheel-to-wheel in the downhill before Turn 4 but George overtakes him and tries to run away from Kevin. Magnussen does not give up and stays closer to Russell to avoid a double attack from Hamilton. 15 laps to go. Max is racing against himself as Hulkenberg is at +6.583.
"Do you think the track will dry?"
Asks the Aston Martin’s team.
"Potentially yes".
Replies Alonso. Hamilton waits for the best time to engage Magnussen and tries to overtake him at lap 10 before Turn 4, as his teammate did 2 laps earlier. Lewis manages to find a way through but Magnussen keeps resisting as much as he can. Hamilton moves from the outside and conquers P10. At lap 11, Max renews the fastest lap record 1'15"774, not aware of the battles that are happening behind him. Leclerc and Norris are again engaged in a battle for P9 as Norris is just at less than 0.800 to Charles. Perez gets closer to Hulkenberg enough to make the Haas driver in danger while Sainz observes carefully the battle, ready to exploit any window of opportunity to overtake both.
"Max thoughts on conditions?"
Asks the Red Bull team:
"Still intermediates".
Replies Max who scores in the meantime a new fastest lap 1'15"718. On lap 13, Perez attack Hulkenberg, taking P2. Behind, Norris tries to overtake Leclerc at Turn 9. They are wheel-to-wheel but the Ferrari driver manages to keep P9. Sainz finds a way to overtake Hulkenberg and is temporarily in P3. Verstappen scores a new fastest lap 1'15"365 on lap 14.
"Tell Fernando let’s not lose too much time fighting".
Says Stroll to his team. Ten laps to the end and a new battle for P8 is taking place involving Ocon, Leclerc, Norris, and Russell. Leclerc is close to Ocon at Turn 3 but the Freanchman has no intention to leave this without fighting. Leclerc tries to use all his strenght and overtakes Ocon’s car in Turn 4 but the latter does not give up. Norris takes advantage of this battle and gets closer to Leclerc at +0.424. The FIA Stewards announce that Hamilton’s time is cancelled for track limits. On lap 16, Leclerc makes a small mistake and goes out before the finish lane. Norris takes advantage and overtakes him easily, going 9th fastest. Russell goes to the box and decides to get red soft tyres, exiting the pit lane in P20. On lap 17, DRS is finally enabled. Indeed, the track is getting drier, so the teams decide to experiment with tyres choices. Ocon, Leclerc, and Norris are sticked one to another but Ocon does not give up and defends his P8. Verstappen again scores fastest lap 1'14"506 but Russell scores a purple in the first sector 18.332s. On lap 18, Hamilton and Hulkenberg go to the box and choose the intermediates. On lap 19, Leclerc goes to box and changes his tyres with new intermediates. He ends behind Albon’s William in P13. Hamilton is right behind them with soft warmed tyres at +0.446. Russell steals the fastest lap from Max at 5 laps to go.
The first 8 drivers have not made any pit stop and are on intermediates. Leclerc and Hamilton try to overtake Albon; both are wheel to wheel behind Albon but Hamilton manages to overtake him and takes P13. On lap 21, Russell scores again the fastest lap 1'12"020. Meanwhile, Albon and Hamilton engage in a battle for P11. Bottas seems willing to join them but Leclerc manages to keep P13, while Hamilton sneaks away and gets close to Albon. On lap 22, Russell scores again the fastest lap 1'11"620 and Hamilton finally overtakes Albon. The FIA stewards announce that the incident involving Leclerc and Hamilton will not be reviewed. On lap 23, Russell scores the fastest lap and improves again in his previous time in 1'10"902. Norris finds a way to overtake both Albon and Leclerc, the latter had a tyre blockage, and goes in P7. On lap 24, Piastri gets the fastest lap in 1'10"856 but it lasts a few as again Russell improves his time in 1'10"285 and manages to take P6. Leclerc finally overtakes Albon. Verstappen crosses the finish line and wins the Austrian Sprint Race. Alonso tries to shoot his shots and overtake Stroll before the last turn but Lance defends his P4. Ocon is under the attack of Russell for P7 but manages to keep the English driver behind. Verstappen is in P1 1'16"025, followed by Perez, Sainz, Stroll, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Russell, Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, Leclerc, Albon, Magnussen, Gasly, Tsunoda, De Vries, Sargeant, Zhou, and Bottas.
"Ok well done, Max".
And Max Verstappen replies:
"That was very executed man. Well done".
Max is happy but he keeps complaining about Perez’ attempt of pushing him out the exit of Turn 1. Indeed, as soon as Max and Checo get off of their cars, they greet each other and start to talk about what happened at the exit of Turn 1. Max Verstappen says that he and Checo clarified what happened today:
"I had a bit of a slow start today, it could have been spicy between Checo and I but he said that he couldn’t see me, and I trust his word. We’re all good, we had a chat after the race and all is cleared up, there’s no need to make a big deal about it".
He said that today was more about tyre management and drive fast.
"After we settled into the race, we knew that 24 laps on the intermediate tyres would be quite long, so it was all about managing the tyres whilst trying to drive fast, which is not always easy. I was able to extend the gap and then towards the end of the race I had a few cars around me on slicks. Of course, we had to stay alert, but I think the race went pretty well today. It’s of course incredibly sad about what happened to Dilano today, he had the same dreams that we had when we were at that age. It’s sad for everyone, his family, the Team and the world of motorsport. There’s a lot more that can be done to protect drivers".
Sergio Perez is satisfied with today’s result:
"It was a great Team result for all of us. At the beginning, Max and I got a bit closer than we should have, there was a bit of misjudgement from both sides, but we have spoken about it and it is all good. Later in the race, after passing Nico in the Haas, it was all about making sure that we made it until the end as the tyres were getting too hot as the circuit dried, but we got the result we wanted. Tomorrow, starting from P15, although overtaking will be difficult, we will give it a go and see what we are able to do and try our best to recover as many positions as possible. I think yesterday we showed very good pace and we are comfortable with the car. I am still feeling unwell and unfortunately far from one hundred percent but I am looking forward to tomorrow to see what we can do. I also want to take a moment to remember Bob Fernley, who was a massive person in my life - a guy that I shared so many years and so many good moments with. I want to wish Audrey and his family the very best. It is really sad and we had a lot of happy memories".
Says Christian Horner, Red Bull’s CEO and Team Principal:
"This is a fantastic result for us, a one-two finish at our home in Austria, with both drivers having a strong race. The golden rule we have as a team is race hard and give each other space and there was without doubt some good, hard racing on the first few corners, it was tight but fair, and both drivers settled into the race and had very good pace. It’s a solid 15 points for the team and hopefully we can carry the momentum into tomorrow’s race. It’s been very sad today to hear of the losses of two members of our motorsports community, Bob Fernley and young Dilano van ’t Hoff, our thoughts are with their families and loved ones".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is overall satisfied with his results:
"It wasn’t an easy Saturday but I’m happy to be P3 today after how hectic the start of the day had been, with a brake issue in SQ1 and having only one lap to progress to SQ2! I would have loved to have that set of new Softs in SQ3 but, considering everything, qualifying P5 wasn’t too bad. Then the wet Sprint race was also very challenging. The car was tricky in the high speed sections, but we managed to bring home this third place, which I think was the maximum today. Now all our focus is on tomorrow, where I hope we can confirm the good step forward we have made as a team and bring home a good result".
Charles Leclerc recognises that his side of the garage needs to work more:
"There is a lot of work I need to do to be better in these conditions. At least, that is the case on my side of the garage, as Carlos did well. We were on slicks but the track was only partly dry and I couldn’t get a feel for it, I can’t get the car in the right window and I am so far off the pace. I really struggle to drive the car and don’t feel confident with it and that is reflected in my performance. We need to focus on this from my side, for me to understand why it’s not working in these conditions. It’s not a question of strategy, it’s just down to my pace. It might have seemed like a good fight with Ocon, but honestly, fighting down there is not what interests me. I need to make a step forward in these conditions. For tomorrow, I believe we can be strong if it’s dry, maybe not as strong as Red Bull, but we can still do something good".
Frédéric Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari’s Team Principal, explains:
"Carlos drove a perfect race, especially as this morning he had been a bit on the back foot after a brake issue in SQ1. In these conditions, Charles struggled, it was more complicated for him as he was starting from further back, he was in traffic but I’m not concerned, as we should have a dry race tomorrow, starting from the first and second row. We need to be able to repeat the pace we showed on Friday and aim for a good result. It will be challenging as this weekend format and the changing weather means we have not been able to get a clear idea of our pace and have hardly been able to do two laps in the same conditions, or on the same tyres. It’s particularly difficult on this track, where we saw that all the drivers were very close on this short lap. But that is the same for all the teams. Tomorrow, from the starting positions we have, there’s a great opportunity to bring home a lot of points".
George Russell is satisfied with the team’s results taking into consideration the track conditions:
"Conditions today were tricky, so I'm glad we made it from P15 to P8, almost P7. I feel confident driving in these conditions, so all things considered a solid result for us. We're still far from where we want to be, but I definitely take the positives from today's sprint. The shootout didn't really go our way, we were faced with hydraulics issues, which meant we couldn't run in Q2 and had to start the sprint from the back of the grid. There isn't much to lose in a sprint race but there's obviously a high risk of damaging the car in these wet conditions we've seen today. Tomorrow should be warmer and drier and I'm confident that we'll be able to move forward during the race. We had a good car and good pace today so we'll see what we can achieve on Sunday".
Lewis Hamilton had different expectations on today’s result:
"The car felt relatively quick this morning and I think we could've made it to the Top 5 in the shootout and the sprint with the pace we had today, but it wasn't meant to be. Very difficult conditions out there and I didn't want to gamble so the transition to slicks unfortunately happened one lap too late for me. We tried to just have fun in the race and enjoy ourselves. We lost a few points today so we'll focus on the race tomorrow, where we will be in a much better place to start from. We've also got a lot of learnings today, which we can take into tomorrow".
And Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO, adds:
"We had a very unlucky shootout session with Lewis in P18 and George in P15, although both drivers said the car felt better today with the setup changes that happened overnight. The focus for us was then to make up ground during the sprint and the team made a perfect call by putting George on slicks at the right time. We didn't have anything to lose really at this point, so a brilliant choice by the team to change tyres early. George fought his way back to P8 and finished just thousandths behind Ocon, so our gamble paid off. Lewis was struggling a bit more to get the tyres warmed up, pitting one lap later. But again, this could've gone either way. There's lots we learned today and the car pace looked decent, so we're looking forward to the race tomorrow".
Lando Norris admits that today was tough:
"It was a tough race. I had an issue in Turn 3 where I went into anti-stall and unfortunately lost seven positions. It was difficult to make it back up from there, but we did a good job from then on out. I was happy with the decision to stay out and the pace seemed good, it's just a shame that the issue in the beginning cost me. We're starting in a good position tomorrow, so we will do what we can then".
Oscar Piastri describes his experience:
"P11 in the Sprint. It was a good call for the slicks, and I had a bit of fun out there, with a fair few overtakes. We were super-strong in the mixed conditions again, which is nice, but it was a tricky one out there. I think we got the strategy right, so well done to everyone. It's a shame to miss out on points but it still felt good".
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Team Principal, finds that today’s results equates yesterday’s one:
"The Sprint Shootout earlier this afternoon was much the same as yesterday with Oscar being unlucky, while on Lando's side of the garage, we managed to make good progress and start P3. In the Sprint, Oscar was able to fight his way from P17 to P11, thanks to a combination of good strategy, brilliant overtaking and strong pace on the dry tyres. Lando lost a lot of places on the first lap because of the issue we had in Turn 3, when anti-stall was triggered. Later in the race, we decided to stay on intermediate tyres as we thought his overall race time would have been similar, and we just missed out on the final point. We'll have a good look at what happened today, learn what we can, and go again tomorrow when there is a chance to score good points".
On Sunday, July 2, 2023, everyone is ready for the Austrian Grand Prix: Verstappen will start on pole, ahead of the Ferrari pair Leclerc and Sainz, while Norris and Hamilton are respectively fourth and fifth. Before the start, a minute of silence is held for Dutch racing driver Dilano van ’t Hoff, who on Saturday lost his life in a crash at Spa-Francorchamps. Magnussen and De Vries will start from the pit lane due to component changes under parc ferme conditions. Everyone is on medium tyres, except for Alonso, Bottas and Magnussen, who are on hards. The weather is cloudy when the light go out and Verstappen immediately takes the lead, defending from Leclerc into Turn 1. The Monegasque mantains his second place, his team mate Sainz is third, Hamilton gets the jump on Norris for P4, followed by Alonso, Hulkenberg, Stroll, Gasly and Albon. At the back, Tsunoda tags Ocon at Turn 1 and loses part of his front wing; Bottas is also involved, then locks up and slides off the track, so the Safety Car in triggered. Tsunoda and Magnussen are the first to pit under the Safety Car, which exits the track at the end of Lap 3, with Verstappen still managing to keep his lead over Leclerc and moving more than a second clear in a handful of corners. On lap 8 the Dutchman has a lead of two seconds over the Ferrari, while Leclerc is under pressure from team mate Sainz, and Norris complains on the radio about Hamilton, who often seems to exceed track limits.
"I think you can see, I don’t need to let you know".
Says Sainz Jr. on the radio as he gets closer to Leclerc. The team answer:
"We stick with the plan, no attack for now".
Perez and Russell go wheel-to-wheel as they work their way towards the points; finally, the Mexican passes the Briton at Turn 4, while Gasly does the same with Hulkenberg at Turn 3 for the eighth place. After some others complaints from Norris, Hamilton is given a black-and-white flag, meaning any more track limits violations will put the seven-time world champion on the brink of a penalty.
"I can’t keep it on the track - the car won’t turn".
The Mercedes driver says when informed about it. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg has a loss of power on his Haas and parks it on track, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Hamilton, Norris, Gasly, Albon, Russell, Ocon, Piastri and Sargeant pit, and a lap later, also Leclerc, Sainz Jr., Alonso and Stroll stop, while Verstappen stays out at the front. When the VSC ends, the Dutchman leads Leclerc by 18 seconds, with Perez now third. Sainz Jr. passes Norris at Turn 3, while Hamilton is given a five-second penalty again for track limits. Sainz now also passes Hamilton and Perez in quick succession, before going to search for the top two of Leclerc and Verstappen. Leclerc has cut Verstappen’s advantage to 15 seconds by lap 23, while the leader reports over the radio that his tyre degradation is high. Hamilton and Perez start battling for the fourth place: the Mercedes driver almost finds a way past on several occasions, saying on the radio that the Red Bull is exceeding track limits. On lap 25, Verstappen finally pits, swapping onto the hard tyre, contrary to the Ferrari, which are now on the second sets of mediums. The Dutchman emerges behind both Leclerc and Sainz. Perez boxes a lap later, for mediums. Verstappen passes Sainz for P2 at Turn 3, with Leclerc six seconds ahead, while Norris overtakes Hamilton for P4 at Turn 3. On the other hand, Piastri gets caught out in the midfield scrapping, damages his front wing and pits for a replacement: this sends him to the back of the field, ahead just of Hulkenberg. Sainz is given a five-second time penalty due to track limits, as he went too far over the white lines at the exit of the high-speed penultimate corner.
"We must be inside track limits on every lap - there’s so much going on here".
The McLaren team tell Norris, given the number of time penalties given to his competitors. Leclerc is now the leader, just 2.5 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Ferrari ask him:
"What do you think about three stops?"
But the Monegasque driver doesn’t agree with this possible strategy. On lap 34, Verstappen comes closes to Leclerc, trying to pass him into Turn 3 and then 4. One lap later, the reigning world champion manages to pass the Ferrari. At the back, De Vries and Magnussen battle from Turns 4 to 6, leading to the Haas dramatically running through the gravel.
"De Vries just completely pushed me off again".
The Danishman screams over the radio. After 38 laps, Verstappen leads the way from Leclerc by some five seconds, ahead of Sainz, Norris, Hamilton and Alonso, with Perez, Gasly, Russell and Albon holding the final top 10 spots. At this point, Norris, Russell, Albon and Hamilton all pit again, temporarily promoting Gasly to the top six, until he is given a five-second time penalty over track limits. After his stop, Norris recovers his place from Gasly. Sainz Jr. pits on Lap 46, serving at the same time his five-second penalty, and emerges just behind Norris: they run side-by-side from the exit of Turn 3 to Turn 6, until the Ferrari goes past. A couple of laps later, Leclerc pits for a set of hard tyres, leaving Verstappen and Perez running one and two for Red Bull. Verstappen pits on Lap 50 for mediums. He remains in the lead, ahead of team mate Perez, who makes his final stop a tour later for a set of hard tyres. Perez emerges fifth, half a minute down on Verstappen, but he starts to make his way onto the podium. Toto Wolff speaks on the radio, giving a clear message to Hamilton:
"The car is bad, we know. Please drive it".
A lock-up for Norris at Turn 3 is Perez’ opportunity to pass him, going to search the Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr.. The Mexican finds a way past Sainz Jr. on lap 61, after a hard battle, so the time he lost means Leclerc is 13 seconds ahead. Stroll passes Albon at Turn 4 for the final point, while Sargeant is given a five-second penalty over track limits and Magnussen gets the same soon afterward. At the front, Verstappen wants a late pit stop for fresh tyres. After some resistance from the Red Bull pit wall, his wish is granted and, with the faster lap, he takes the chequered flag. Leclerc crosses the line five seconds back, with Perez 12 seconds further back in the final podium spot, followed by Sainz and Norris. Alonso finishes in sixth, while Mercedes have to settle for seventh and eighth with Hamilton and Russell respectively. Gasly and Stroll rounds out the top ten. Williams leave the ninth race weekend of the season empty-handed, as Albon takes 11th ahead of Alpine’s Ocon and team mate Sargeant. Zhou and Bottas finishes 14th and 16th respectively. Piastri is 17th, while Tsunoda and Magnussen the final drivers to finish, leaving Hulkenberg as the sole retirement. However, following a protest lodged by Aston Martin, the stewards will spend the evening digging into over 1.200 instances where a car is reported as potentially leaving the track. The results promote Norris and Alonso ahead of the penalised Sainz Jr., with some changes further down the order as other drivers are punished for track limit violations. This is the ninth victory of the season for Red Bull Racing, at the team’s home race:
"It’s been a pretty incredible weekend; it couldn’t have been any better to be honest. We did everything well as a Team, from the strategy through to the pit stops. Heading into the race we all had question marks around the tyres but we were all happy with how they performed compared to our competitors. I felt really comfortable in the car all weekend and we were able to do everything that we had planned. The final pit stop was a risk of course, I think the Team could hear from my voice on the radio that I wanted to pit. From the outside it might have looked crazy but I knew we could do it, I saw there was a gap and I wanted to make the most of it".
Sergio Perez from 15th on the grid finished third, after some battles with George Russell and Carlos Sainz:
"It was a really good race. I think we had the pace this weekend: we showed it in the Sprint and we showed it today. It was a nice comeback and I feel really comfortable with the car, it has been really special. I think we were all racing quite hard and it is always a pleasure to battle with drivers like Carlos. We have had a tricky few races, so it has been nice to get back and have that pace and form. I am still not one hundred per cent physically, however, so now I need to look ahead and recover ahead in time for Silverstone".
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s CEO and Team Principal, is very satisfied with today’s race:
"It has been an incredible day for the Team today and a fantastic weekend. Max is obviously on exceptional form, taking qualifying, the Sprint race and now the Grand Prix is just sensational. Obviously we took a different strategy to that of our competitors, meaning he had to make the overtakes on track which led to some fantastic watching and a stunning weekend for him. We decided to go for the fastest lap on the last lap despite the risk involved in an additional pitstop, but Dietrich’s mantra was always ‘no risk, no fun’, and the mechanics have been in such incredible form that it felt relatively low risk. Checo too had such great pace today, particularly when he got clean air. When you start down at 15th, your ability to get close to victory is obviously compromised, so his recovery from 15th to a podium was outstanding and his battle with Carlos was box-office. This is our best run of in-season results since 2013, the Team is operating at a level not seen in our 19-year history and we’re grateful for every victory we achieve. Results like today are the work of every single department, it’s not just about the race team, it’s the activity that goes on behind the scenes back at the factory, from operations, manufacturing, research and development, aerodynamics, to our support functions in Finance, Marketing, Legal and HR, all of these need to come together and work as a team, and this is where we are so strong. This is the first time we’ve been back at the track since Dietrich’s passing. It felt very poignant to put in such a great team performance today. Whilst not here in person, you feel his presence everywhere, his passion and spirit are the reason we’re all here today and we owe him so much. This one’s for Dietrich".
Good race for Lewis Hamilton, who despite some problems in the car, managed to finish only seventh:
"It was not the greatest of days today. We weren't expecting to be as slow as we were and our performance this weekend was a surprise. We don't have the answer as to why just yet, but this track has highlighted several areas of improvement we need to focus on. We knew we didn't have a strong rear-end this weekend, so we took out a lot of front-wing to maintain the balance. I was really struggling into certain corners, particularly Turn 10, and sliding, which I couldn't do anything about it. That is why I was struggling with track limits. We added some front-wing at both stops and the car began to come back to us, but it was still a challenge".
George Russell finished in the points area, in what has been a difficult weekend for Mercedes:
"It was really challenging today, and our pace was not as we expected. After yesterday, I was hoping for a little bit more from the Grand Prix. I am sure we will go away and get to the bottom of our performance here. We have the same car that we had in Barcelona where we were flying so we need to understand what went wrong on our side. The car certainly doesn't feel how we want it to at the moment. It's moving around a lot, and it felt a little bit worse this weekend than at other circuits; the pace was substantially worse though, so we need to get to the bottom of that. Our performance is clearly circuit dependent now. We were nowhere here but good in Montreal and Barcelona. That bodes well for Silverstone as that is a circuit more similar to Barcelona than Austria, so we're excited for next weekend's British Grand Prix. We will be aiming to come back stronger".
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ Team Principal & CEO, is very direct when explaining the problems of the car:
"Today was a bruising day for the Team. We've had a positive upward trajectory recently but clearly, we didn't have the pace we needed here. It's been a tough weekend overall and both drivers have struggled with the car since FP1. From Friday onwards, we have seen that we were lacking a couple of tenths and we couldn't make the car quicker. Once the tyres start sliding, either under braking or through the corner, then you have no grip. That contributed to our lack of performance, but we will have to go away and analyse it in more detail. We will take this weekend on the chin and move forward. The swings are quite interesting from circuit to circuit where sometimes we are the closest challengers to Red Bull, and at others struggling. We have a step of performance that we are bringing to Silverstone. Let's see if that circuit suits the characteristics of the car a little more and we will analyse from there".
It was a great return for Ferrari with Charles Leclerc finishing on the podium for the second time this season:
"It’s good to be back on the podium. Friday and today we maximised what we have and the upgrades we introduced this weekend worked well. The team has done an excellent job and we will keep pushing in this direction. I also want to thank Carlos as he made my life a bit easier by putting up a great defence against Checo. I was watching on the big screen, it was very exciting! Now we go to Silverstone which, with Spielberg, is among my favourite circuits. Hopefully we can take advantage of the new upgrades we have on the car again and offer a bit more of a challenge to Red Bull in the next round".
Carlos Sainz Jr., on the other hand, lost out to Perez for third place, but put in a strong performance to take fourth, before ending sixth due to a penalty:
"It was a very solid race even though I’m not happy with the final result, as I think we deserved a double podium today. I felt very quick and comfortable with the car but after the first stop the race was compromised as we lost time and positions. I did my best to push hard and recover, with some good overtaking, but unfortunately I received the penalty for track limits. In the end I tried absolutely everything to defend from Checo but couldn't hold on to that place on the podium. There are some things to review, but in general we have to be happy with the progress made and we need to keep pushing in this direction".
Frédéric Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari’s Team Principal, adds:
"Today’s strong result for the team, added to yesterday’s podium with Carlos, proves we are working in the right direction. If we look back, we had a good race in Canada and today we confirmed the progress made on a completely different track layout with a different surface. We still need to make another step forward if we want to fight with Red Bull and we are working hard to achieve that. Charles drove very well today and I think he would have been probably safe from the attacks from Perez towards the end. However Carlos also played his part, fighting Checo making him lose time. Now we go immediately to Silverstone, on another completely different track on which we’ll need to confirm our current form to keep fighting with Mercedes and Aston Martin. We are doing a good job both on track and in Maranello, we will bring more upgrades in the UK and we want to keep fighting in what I think will be a long battle all the way to the end of the season".
Great result for McLaren, with Lando Norris fighting amongst the top teams all weekend:
"A very good day! I was a little bit surprised we had the race pace that we did, and it was great to be fighting the Ferraris and Red Bulls. More importantly, we beat both the Astons and Mercedes, which was our main goal today. Overall, a good day and good points. It's one of those tracks which is easy to get punished on. We kept it on track and didn't really make any big mistakes, with some good racing at times. The team has done a great job again. Thank you to everyone back in the factory for bringing the upgrade because that definitely got us in the points today. A big cheers to them".
Oscar Piastri had front-wing damage and finished out of the points:
"A long afternoon. I picked up some front wing damage in the middle with three cars kind of having their incident in front of me and I didn't have anywhere to go, which was unfortunate, and our pace wasn't great. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next race. It's a home race for the team and I've got some new parts on my car, which I'm very much looking forward to. We'll see what we can do next weekend".
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Team Principal, thanks the team:
"It's been a positive result here in Spielberg. Not just the valuable points from Lando's P5 but also seeing the MCL60 fighting at the front. That's good for the team and good for our fans. We know this track is a bit of a 'Lando-Special', and he was excellent again today, but certainly some of this result is down to the upgraded aerodynamic package fitted to his car. It's been a colossal amount of work at the factory to get this upgrade here, and a good effort at the track to get the performance out of it. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the people who made that happen, and I hope they're enjoying the result because they certainly deserve it. On Oscar's side, he fell out of contention after some unfortunate circumstances, but we all appreciate the spirit with which he dug in and pushed hard in a race at the back of the field. It's characteristic of Oscar - and the whole team - and we'll take that going to our home race at Silverstone. We're focused on that now and hoping for a positive result at the British Grand Prix".