Max Verstappen won the Austrian GP Sprint for Red Bull after fending off a strong early attack from the McLarens.
Max Verstappen started from pole and quickly found himself under immense pressure from McLaren’s Lando Norris in the opening laps of the Austrian Sprint. Norris made a daring move at the start of lap five, overtaking Verstappen at the uphill Turn Three. However, his lead was short-lived. Within one corner, Verstappen reclaimed his position, and Norris, losing momentum, was overtaken by his teammate, Oscar Piastri.
Piastri held second place for the remainder of the 23-lap race, with Norris close behind. Verstappen eventually broke out of the DRS zone, securing a comfortable victory with a 4.6-second lead. Reflecting on his brief stint in the lead, Norris admitted, “I messed it up and left the door open like an amateur.” He acknowledged that his decision to make the move so early had backfired, noting, “If I waited one more lap, I probably would have lost any more opportunities.”
Despite not feeling his best in recent weeks, Norris had been optimistic about challenging Verstappen. The initial race start was delayed due to photographers’ positioning, resulting in an additional formation lap and reducing the race distance from 24 to 23 laps. Once the race commenced, Verstappen maintained his advantage through the first lap but faced fierce competition from the McLarens.
Norris brilliantly seized his moment three corners into lap five, diving down the inside of the Red Bull and forcing Verstappen to take evasive action. However, Verstappen swiftly countered, reclaiming the lead on the next corner. Piastri, sensing an opportunity, capitalized on Norris’ disadvantage and secured second place.
Although Norris pressured Piastri towards the end, the Australian held his position. Reflecting on the race, Norris remarked, “Just a bit silly from my side. Otherwise, it was a good race. I made the most of some of the opportunities I had.” He admitted there was room for improvement, stating, “I did half the job, just didn’t finish it off.”
Verstappen acknowledged the challenges posed by the McLarens, noting, “Once the DRS opens, it was very hard to get out of it.” He was pleased to eventually pull away from his pursuers, saying, “A few exciting battles as well but once we cleared the DRS, I could do my own race and it was better.”
This victory marks Verstappen’s third win in the three Sprint events this season and his 10th since the format’s introduction in 2021. With two extra points from this win, Verstappen extends his world championship lead over Norris to a 71-point advantage.
