Max Verstappen won the Austrian GP Sprint for Red Bull after fending off a strong early attack from the McLarens.
Lando Norris put a lot of pressure on Verstappen early in the race, but the McLaren driver made a daring move to take the lead at the beginning of lap five in the steep Turn Three. Verstappen maintained his lead from the start of the race.
However, Norris’ advantage was short-lived as Verstappen quickly caught up to him, and to make matters worse, teammate Oscar Piastri also passed him as the British driver lost steam coming out of the turn.
For the next 23 laps of the race, Verstappen eventually broke out of DRS range and edged ahead to win by a more comfortable 4.6 seconds, with Piastri holding on to second place over Norris.
“I messed it up and left the door open like an amateur,” admitted Norris, who has been feeling unwell in recent weeks, on the move that saw him re-passed by Verstappen.
“Some things to improve but we are there and can definitely give them a fight [in Sunday’s Grand Prix].”
After surrendering the lead to Carlos Sainz at the beginning, George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes, while Sainz continued to lead Lewis Hamilton in sixth.
From his bad starting position, Charles Leclerc recovered three positions to finish seventh, one of which came at the cost of Sergio Perez, who maintained his poor performance in the second Red Bull, finishing eighth and earning the last Sprint point.
Verstappen’s most recent victory gives him a 71-point lead over Norris in the world championship. This is his third victory in the three Sprint events this season and his tenth overall since the short-form format’s inception in 2021.
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