Dylan Bettencourt
After claiming pole position and winning the sprint race, Max Verstappen failed to win Red Bull’s home Grand Prix in Austria.
The current Formula 1 champion was aiming to claim his third consecutive Red Bull Ring triumph after showing excellent pace on both Friday and Saturday.
However, the car under Verstappen was not up to his usual standards as the Dutch driver struggled for both grip and pace.
His teammate Sergio Perez clashed with George Russel on the opening lap and was later forced to retire due to damage to the car.
Both Red Bull’s and Verstappen’s struggles allowed Ferrari to pounce and that they did, with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz overtaking the champion.
Sainz was looking to once again overtake Verstappen after making a pit stop for fresh tyres when disaster struck.
The Spaniard was about to make a move on Verstappen when a cloud of smoke appeared behind him as his engine failed.
Sainz’s car went up in flames along with his chances of winning the driver’s championship.
Ferrari’s hope then rested on Leclerc who had difficulties of his own when he complained of a faulty throttle pedal.
Leclerc managed to stay ahead of a chasing Verstappen to win his first Grand Prix since Australia on 10 April.
This victory means Ferrari have won back-to-back Grand Prix’s after Sainz emerged as the winner in England last weekend.
The consecutive victories have perhaps handed Ferrari a lifeline in the championship that Red Bull seemed to be running away with.
The struggling Mercedes once again impressed, Lewis Hamilton finishing third with his teammate George Russel right behind him.
Verstappen didn’t sound too disappointed on the radio given he was on course to finishing third before Sainz was forced to retire.
Red Bull are still in control of both the driver and constructor standings but will look to bounce back when Formula 1 returns on 24 July with the French Grand Prix.
Image source: @BleacherReport
