In contrast to the Styrian Grand Prix, Verstappen faced no real hazard from behind, even having sufficient time to take an additional rest stop with 10 laps to go to guarantee an extra point for fastest lap– and a very first ever grand slam weekend, with pole, fastest lap and victory, having led every lap.
In spite of heavy pressure from Norris, who was awarded Driver Of The Day honours, Bottas hung on for P2, with the McLaren chauffeur taking a third podium surface of the season in P3. Hamilton held on for fourth, but slipped from 18 to 32 points behind Verstappen in the championship standings.
Behind him, championship rival Lewis Hamilton worked his method as much as second place from P4 on the grid before aerodynamic damage, selected up by running over exit kerbs, slowed his development, allowing both Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas and McLarens Lando Norris to get previous.
For the second time is as lots of weeks, Red Bulls Max Verstappen delighted in a tranquil drive to triumph at the Red Bull Ring, leading every lap of the Austrian Grand Prix from lead– much to the pleasure of the countless orange attired fans who gathered to cheer him to a third success in a row.
1
Max
Verstappen
VER
Red Bull Racing
1:23:54.543
26
2
Valtteri
Bottas
BOT
Mercedes
+17.973 s.
18.
3.
Lando.
Norris.
NOR.
McLaren.
+20.019 s.
15.
4.
+46.452 s.
Lewis.
Hamilton.
HAM.
Mercedes.
12.
5.
Carlos.
Sainz.
SAI.
Ferrari.
+57.144 s.
10.
Racing returned underway on Lap 4, with Perez in 3rd wasting no time at all in attacking Norris for P2. After an initial take a look around the outside at Turn 1, the Mexican attempted his hand around the outside again at Turn 4. However, Norris held his ground and relieved Perez off the roadway, the Red Bull chauffeur grumbling he d been pushed off as he returned from the gravel down in P10.
McLarens Daniel Ricciardo, Leclerc, AlphaTauris Pierre Gasly and Alpines Fernando Alonso completed the top 10, the latter taking the final points-paying position from George Russell on the penultimate lap, denying the Briton a first point with Williams.
In a double whammy for the McLaren man, no earlier was he went by Hamilton than he was handed a five-second charge for the Perez occurrence– though his group chose to wait until lap 26 to inform their driver, who was normally nonplussed saying: “what did the person anticipate walking around the outside?”.
As it occurred.
In the middle of warm temperature levels and cloudy conditions, the race got underway with Verstappen leading into Turn 1 as all the front runners got a tidy start– that is apart from George Russell who, looking for a first points end up for Williams, immediately dropped from P8 to P12.
Further back there was drama on the last lap as Alfa Romeos Kimi Raikkonen hit Aston Martins Sebastian Vettel as they challenged P12. But for the majority of fans around the track, it was all about the man who finished in P1 …
However, no earlier had the chauffeurs got up to speed than the Safety Car was called, with Esteban Ocon forced to park his Alpine with damage to finish a second succeeding weekend to forget. The Frenchman, who began a disappointing P17, was captured in between Mick Schumachers Haas and Antonio Giovinazzis Alfa Romeo as the pack exited the Turn 3 hairpin, with contact from the latters rear wheel instantly breaking his front suspension.
Walking around the outside, Perez was required off track, with Norris given a five-second charge as a result. However, Perez would later reduce Charles Leclercs Ferrari off the roadway at precisely the exact same location and pick up a similar charge, prior to doing the very same thing to Leclerc at Turn 6 and getting one further time charge.
Verstappen led easily away at the start.
By lap 10, Verstappen had actually opened his lead to 3.6 s over Norris and 4.5 s over Hamilton, as the seven-time world champion radioed to state he was struggling to follow the McLaren. He d stay behind till lap 20 when he lastly required his method past at Turn 4, Norris remarking that Hamiltons brakes were on fire as he drove past, with Hamilton making the effort to inform his team what a “great driver” Norris was.
By this phase, all the chauffeurs who had started on softs– both AlphaTauris and both Aston Martins– had picked up fresh rubber, though Yuki Tsunoda blotted his copybook by straying over the white line in the pit entry and making himself a five-second charge. He d repeat the error later in the race to end any hope of points, and no doubt make himself a telling off from Red Bull top brass.
Race Highlights: 2021 Austrian Grand Prix.
Red Bull may have had an even much better day, had Sergio Perez not had such an eventful race from 3rd on the grid. After an early security cars and truck, called on Lap 1 when Esteban Ocon was forced to park his Alpine with damage sustained bumping Antonio Giovinazzis Alfa Romeo at Turn 3, Perez assaulted Norris for P3 at Turn 3.
In the middle of the drama, Bottas briefly passed Hamilton for P3, however the Briton pressed his method back ahead prior to setting after Norris, whose team mate Daniel Ricciardo had actually given himself a terrific opportunity of a haul of points by jumping up to P9 from P13 on the grid.
That implied that while Perez crossed the line in P5, he was categorized in P6, with Ferraris Carlos Sainz– who moved himself up the order with a fantastic late charge after running a long opening stint– taking 5th.
2021 Austrian Grand Prix: Furious Leclerc goes off track twice in battle with Pérez.
On lap 30, Norris chose it was time for fresh rubber, with Mercedes advising Valtteri Bottas– running behind Norris on the road in P4– to follow the Briton in, knowing he d have to serve his time charge before his tyres might be altered. Bottas hence had time to handle brand-new tires and emerge ahead comfortably ahead of Norris– much to the McLaren motorists shame.
No earlier had that been issued, and Gasly had pit once again, Perez lined himself up for another penalty– this time for running Leclerc off the road at Turn 7.
Hamilton suffered flooring damage after driving over an exit kerb.
Verstappen was in a league of his own.
The podium was all smiles.
As Bottas and Norris homed into view, it was all action behind as Gasly, Ricciardo, Perez and Leclerc continued their running battle. On lap 41 Leclerc dived around the beyond Perez into Turn 4, much as the Mexican had actually done to Norris in the early stages. The outcome, nevertheless, was the same, with Leclerc facing the gravel and Perez rapidly handed a five-second penalty, to be contributed to his time at the end of the race.
A lap later on and Hamilton made his stop for hard tires, his team informing him to take care of his rubber, with Red Bull– who stopped Verstappen for the very same tires a lap later– telling the Dutchman that his title competitor was set to go to the end of the race.
The action wasnt over. Having begun on hard tyres and been the last to stop, Sainz was on a charge on fresh mediums. He quickly got onto the back of team mate Leclerc and was ushered past, prior to taking Ricciardo for P6 on the roadway with one lap to go.
As the race moved into the lasts, Bottas and Norris came to the back of Hamiltons automobile, with Bottas initially informed to hold station. But fearing the hazard of Norris, Mercedes had no choice however to let Bottas attack Hamilton, with a direction to invert the positions coming right after and Bottas moving ahead on lap 52. A lap later on and Norris was likewise by, Hamilton stopping for fresh rubber shortly afterwards as he concentrated on holding onto fourth and restricting his champion damage.
Whats next?
Racing got back underway on Lap 4, with Perez in 3rd wasting no time in assaulting Norris for P2. On lap 41 Leclerc dived around the exterior of Perez into Turn 4, much as the Mexican had done to Norris in the early phases. Fearing the threat of Norris, Mercedes had no choice but to let Bottas attack Hamilton, with an instruction to invert the positions coming quickly after and Bottas moving ahead on lap 52. A lap later on and Norris was also by, Hamilton stopping for fresh rubber shortly later on as he focused on holding onto 4th and limiting his champion damage.
That would show a misconception as it quickly became obvious after his stop that Hamilton was struggling for pace, his group quickly detecting that he d suffered “damage to rear aero surface areas” running over an exit kerb.
After an extreme triple header, the drivers and teams now have some well earned downtime before the 2021 British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 16-18 – a historical occasion, with the very first F1 Sprint taking place on the Saturday.
The duo clashed wheels and both ran stunningly across the gravel, with the stewards announcing an instant examination, the outcome of which was a 20-second time penalty and 2 charge points for Raikkonen.
” Its unbelievable to be sincere. The car was on rails. I mean on every tire set we placed on, it was really satisfying to drive. Im a bit surprised myself how today went; I didnt anticipate it to be like this. Extraordinary task by everybody to deliver something like this. Naturally, when you go into the weekend everyone sees you as the favourite, but its never simple to in fact always provide what we did today.”– Max Verstappen, Red Bull.
Up front, there were no such issues for Verstappen, who had so much margin in hand he might pay for to stop for a second time and emerge 7.2 s ahead of Bottas, with the fresh tires needed to guarantee fastest lap.
He quickly got onto the back of team mate Leclerc and was ushered past, before taking Ricciardo for P6 on the roadway with one lap to go.
The key quote.
The other Spaniard on the grid, Fernando Alonso, was on a similar charge, passing George Russell for P10 late on to extend his points scoring go to 4 races and reject the Williams male a very first point. In no state of mind to lose any more places, Russell then held off Raikkonen, who had likewise run a long opening stint, with the Finn then getting included with former group mate Sebastian Vettel as they exited Turn 4 on the last lap.
The day belonged to Verstappen, who stated his victory “even better than last week” and verified his status as championship favourite.
