Max Verstappen has dominated the Austrian Grand Prix, taking his fifth consecutive race win in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The Dutchman crossed the line five seconds in front of Charles Leclerc, having opted to pit ahead of the final tour to secure the extra point that goes with the fastest lap.
Verstappen and Leclerc shared the front row at the start of the grid, and Verstappen managed to hold onto the lead on the opening lap. Behind them, Lewis Hamilton managed to get ahead of Lando Norris for fourth.
While it was kept clean at the front, the same couldn’t be said at the back of the field – Yuki Tsunoda tipped into the rear of Esteban Ocon and damaged his front wing before skating through the gravel at Turn 4.
A Safety Car was called to clean up the debris at the first corner, but the race required the intervention of the Virtual Safety Car on lap 14 when Nico Hulkenberg retired with a terminal issue.
Several drivers opted to pit, however race leader Verstappen stayed out while Ferrari double-stacked their cars.
The decision saw Sainz drop behind Sergio Perez (who also didn’t pit), Hamilton and Norris. Sainz voiced his frustration over team radio having shown strong pace behind Leclerc before the pit stop.
However, Sainz didn’t waste time progressing back through the traffic and was back into third place by lap 20.
Time penalties then became a major talking point of the race, with Hamilton the first of many drivers to be issued a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits.
Red Bull called Verstappen into the pit lane on lap 25 for fresh tyres, with the move dropping him behind both Ferraris.
But with a tyre and car advantage, Verstappen caught the pair and moved back into the lead.
Amid his chase of the Ferrari drivers, Sainz copped a five-second time penalty for track limits, as did Esteban Ocon for an unsafe release while serving his pit stop.
Further down the pack, Sergio Perez’s recovery following a difficult qualifying continued as he overtook Mercedes’ George Russell for eighth.
There was a close battle between Nyck de Vries and Kevin Magnussen, who were battling outside the points – de Vries was hit with a five-second time penalty for pushing the Haas driver wide at Turn 6.
Norris made his second pit stop and Perez continued his charge into the top five on lap 42, while Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon became the latest victims of track limits.
Sainz’s final pit stop on lap 46 saw him drop behind Norris, however he swiftly overtook his former team-mate.
The Red Bull duo were the last of the leaders to pit – Verstappen held his lead, while Perez was fifth.
The Mexican driver had rapid pace and overtook Norris for fourth before setting his sights on Sainz for the final spot on the podium. After attacking the Ferrari driver for a handful of laps, he made the position stick.
Tsunoda was issued with a 10-second time penalty for another track limits violation, while late punishments were also sent the way of Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen.
With Sainz having to settle for fourth, Norris claimed McLaren’s best result of the year in fifth, ahead of Fernando Alonso in the leading Aston Martin.
The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Russell came home in seventh and eighth, while Pierre Gasly scored points for Alpine in ninth.
Lance Stroll rounded out the top 10, having made a late pass on Alexander Albon to secure the final point on offer.
F1 returns next weekend, as the Silverstone Circuit hosts the British Grand Prix.
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