Lando Norris claimed victory in the final race before the summer break. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, finished a close second after an exciting duel, followed by George Russell. Max Verstappen, after a challenging weekend in Hungary, could only manage ninth place.
Here’s a quick recap of the Austrian Grand Prix:
FORMATION LAP: As the drivers line up on the grid, Yuki Tsunoda decides to start from the pit lane. Most drivers opt for the medium tyres to start the race, but Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, and Nico Hülkenberg choose the soft compound. Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly go for the hard tyres, aiming to extend their stints as long as possible.
LAP 1/70: Charles Leclerc gets off to a good start and maintains the lead. Lando Norris tries to keep up with his teammate but loses some positions. This allows George Russell to move up to third place, followed by Fernando Alonso in fourth. Max Verstappen loses a spot and drops back to ninth.
LAP 3/70: Verstappen has already overtaken Liam Lawson and bravely positions his RB21 alongside Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. This move propels the Red Bull driver to seventh place, and he sets his sights on the duo ahead: Gabriel Bortoleto and Alonso.
LAP 7/70: Hülkenberg is the first to pit, switching from soft to medium tyres. This puts the German in clean air, allowing him to catch up with the rest of the field. He quickly sets the fastest time, but his hoped-for advantage evaporates. Hülkenberg is handed a five-second time penalty by race control for a false start.
LAP 18/70: Verstappen, competing in his 200th Formula 1 race, is stuck behind Bortoleto and Alonso and decides to pit relatively early. The Dutchman switches from medium to hard tyres.
LAP 19/70: Piastri tries to surprise Leclerc and dives into the pits for a tyre change. The McLaren driver rejoins the track in fifth place, ahead of Bortoleto. A lap later, Leclerc responds by pitting and rejoining the track ahead of Piastri.
LAP 30/70: Verstappen has been stuck behind Hamilton for several laps and elbows his way past the seven-time world champion. The Ferrari driver goes off the track but is able to continue. Verstappen’s mission is accomplished.
Lap 31/70
Norris pits from the leading position. The Brit is aiming for a one-stop strategy, betting that he can win with this approach. From P4, he now has to chase down the rest of the field and keep the gap small enough to finish at the front at the end of the race.
Lap 41/70
McLaren appears to be preparing for a pit stop with Piastri, and Ferrari immediately copies the strategy. However, McLaren feigns the pit stop and lets the Australian continue while Charles Leclerc does pit for new tires. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
Lap 46/70
Piastri makes his final stop and falls back to third position, behind Lando Norris and Leclerc. Does he have the speed to fight his way back to the lead? Meanwhile, teammate Norris continues to push hard on the hard tires and firmly holds the lead.
Lap 49/70
The one-stop strategy does not work for Verstappen, and he pits again for fresh rubber for the final stages of the Hungarian Grand Prix. A weekend to forget for the Dutchman.
Lap 51/70
Piastri is now on Leclerc’s tail and overtakes the Monegasque on the straight. Now he can chase his teammate who is leading the race. Leclerc is frustrated with the situation and predicts over the radio that he will not even finish on the podium this way.
Lap 62/70
Leclerc’s prediction comes true, and the Ferrari driver is overtaken by George Russell with great difficulty. The Brit wants Leclerc to receive a penalty for ‘moving under braking.’ The race direction indeed issues a five-second time penalty.
Lap 65/70
With just five laps to go, Piastri is only a second behind Norris. Can he manage to take the lead and pull the race towards him?
Lap 69/70
Piastri tries to overtake Norris but has to brake hard to avoid a crash. The McLaren pit wall watches with bated breath.
Lap 70/70
Norris maintains the lead and crosses the finish line as the winner, followed by Piastri and Russell.
