A baking hot Sprint Saturday in Spielberg saw all the drivers start the 24-lap race on the medium tyres off the line – and Alex Albon started from the pit lane after changing his set-up during parc fermé.
The start was aborted after the formation lap, despite no obvious danger in sight, which meant the drivers had to go around again for a second formation lap and the total race distance reduced by one lap, down to 23.
Max Verstappen stormed into the lead into turn one, leaving the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri battling between themselves for second place.
Carlos Sainz went all the way around the outside of George Russell out of turn four to take fourth place on the opening lap, and his team-mate Charles Leclerc also made good progress gaining three places in the first lap.
Norris and Piastri were able to hang on to Verstappen’s one second DRS range, with both Papaya cars pressuring the Dutchman as DRS got enabled on lap 2.
But it all kicked up a notch on lap 5, as Norris put on an aggressive lunge on Verstappen in turn three, but as the pair battled hard into turn four they allowed Piastri to take advantage, as he steamed around the outside of turn five to take second away from his team-mate, and started himself to pressurise Verstappen out in front.
On lap 8, George Russell got his fourth place back from Sainz, with a neat DRS-assisted pass down towards turn four.
At the one-third mark of the race, the order of the top 8 was: Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc and Perez.
Out in front, things calmed down after a feisty few laps, with Piastri unable to follow the Red Bull as closely as his team-mate did at the start of the race, with Norris dropping back slightly from the Australian, as the field began to spread.
By lap 13, Norris closed back up to Piastri as the McLarens started to battle over second place, with no team orders at play.
The pair stayed close for several laps, but no change of position.
Behind them, Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc and Perez completed the points-scorers.
Completing the top 10 but with no points were Magnussen in ninth and Stroll 10th.
The other Haas of Nico Hulkenber finished down in 14th, with an investigation from the stewards hanging after forcing Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin off the track in an agressive lunge up towards turn three in the final stages of the Sprint.
Source: Formula 1
