Austrian GP: Flawless win for Max
Max Verstappen had another flawless victory at the Austrian GP. Valtteri Bottas managed to hold onto P2 and Lando finished P3
Sublime Max at the Austrian GP
Max seems to be having a time of his life. He was ahead at the first corner of Lap 1 and then never looked back. Mercedes just couldn’t match his pace. Max pushing further in the driver’s championship and increasing the gap to Lewis.
The other Red Bull driver Sergio Perez did not have the race he wanted for this 200th start. He went into the gravel as he tried to overtake Lando Norris, who put his elbows out and did not leave enough space for the Mexican. Lando got a 5 second penalty but more importantly Sergio was relegated to P10 and now he had to make the arduous journey of moving up the pack again. In between while try to keep Charles LeClerc at bay, he got two second penalties, destroying his race further. Checo eventually finished P6 but Red Bull would have expected more from him.
Mercedes playing the catch up game
Mercedes was on the back foot right from the Quali session. Starting from P4, Lewis did well to overtake Lando on Lap 15 but he just couldn’t keep up with Max. He suffered some damage jumping over the kerbs and then had to make way for his team mate Valtteri Bottas and then Lando overtook him later. Valtteri had a relatively better race. He had good race pace and just managed to keep Lando behind and cling onto P2. Good points overall for Mercedes but they would be hoping for much more if they want to stay in contention for the Championship.
Lando magic!
Lando was in great form throughout the race. He started the race well but got a 5-second harsh penalty for pushing Perez. Still he kept his head down, matched the Mercedes pace and finished on the podium at P3. The other McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo was not bad either, finishing a respectable P7.
The Ferrari boys did well too. While the Quali pace was a bit lacking, they were always confident in their race pace and the ability to overtake when needed. Both finished in the points, with Sainz P5 and LeClerc P8. Gasly showed promise but just managed to finished P9. George looked like he will finally manage to get points for the Williams team, but Fernando dashed his dreams as he overtook George in the final stages of the race.
Final Race Classification of the Austrian GP.
The show now moves from Austrian GP to Silverstone GP in two week’s time. Max and Red Bull would be very happy with the current standings. Mercedes need to dig deep and work a lot if they want to win the Championship.