Austria Grand Prix – Sprint: Almost fratricidal battle at Red Bull

The departure

For the first time since the Miami Grand Prix, Sergio Perez started a race not only on the front grid but also in the Top 10. The Mexican can benefit from this bonus race to regain confidence and secure his first victory since Baku. A weekend that also included a sprint race, which the number 11 driver won in style. Perez made a superb start and leaped like a tiger to dive inside Verstappen at the first corner. With a better trajectory, Verstappen posed a threat on the exit. Wanting to keep the first position at all costs, Perez showed great hostility by squeezing his garage neighbor onto the grass. A maneuver that did not please the world champion at all, who responded by forcing him off the asphalt on the outside of turn 3. The battle between the two winged bulls greatly benefited Nico Hülkenberg, who took advantage of it to dislodge the Mexican from second place.

A tumultuous midfield

The front of the race was not the only part of the peloton hitting the gym. The middle of the pack also offered some fierce battles. This was the case for the fight between Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris. Starting in third position, the McLaren driver was held back by the duel between the two Red Bulls. Dropping down to tenth place, the British driver was constantly in the mirrors of the Ferrari driven by Charles Leclerc ahead of him. The Monegasque driver had his sights set on Ocon, who in turn was closing in on Alexander Albon. The Alpine and Ferrari drivers came within millimeters of contact on the 15th lap. As Leclerc pushed hard, he made a small mistake on the 16th lap, allowing Lando Norris to capitalize. These three men perfectly showcased the advantage of these sprint races: providing additional entertainment.

Not feeling very inspired during the Sprint Shoutout, Lewis Hamilton displayed all his skill in the sprint race. He used Kevin Magnussen as a canvas to execute a beautiful overtaking move on the outside of the 7th turn. This impressive maneuver in the rain was copied one lap later by Sergio Perez on the other Haas, Nico Hülkenberg’s car. They respectively gained the 12th and 2nd positions.

A non-eternal rain

Under the intense rain, the poor pace of the Haas car had been disguised, but when the rain became less frequent, Nico Hülkenberg began to plummet in the rankings. He was consecutively overtaken by Perez, Sainz, and Stroll, prompting his team to call him into the pits on the 18th lap. With soft tires now fitted, the German driver had to go all-in if he wanted to finish in the top 8, in the area synonymous with scoring points.

The one making the best use of the soft tires was George Russell. Coming out last, the British driver displayed a very good pace to secure 8th position. He and Ocon provided us with an impressive photo finish in the battle for 7th place. The gamble on soft tires also paid off for Hülkenberg, who managed to finish in 6th position and thus earn an extra 3 points in the driver’s championship.

Stuck behind the Hülkenberg bottleneck for a long time, even in the open air, the Mexican never seemed to be able to trouble his teammate. Max Verstappen came out on top in this sprint race with an impressive lead of over 20 seconds. Although the race was only 24 laps long, covering a distance of 100km, despite the intense battle in the opening moments of the race, the two men calmly explained themselves upon returning to the Parc Fermé.

In this almost fratricidal struggle at the beginning of the race, the result shows who is the big brother and the little one at Red Bull. Carlos Sainz can be proud of a perfect race management, finishing in 3rd position. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso complete the Top 5. Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon and George Russell are the last drivers to score points. It was a disappointing outcome for Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, who failed to convert their good form in qualifying and finished 9th and 12th respectively.

Results table