Formula 1
Austrian Grand Prix – Verstappen also dominates the sprint
Updated today, 07/01/2023 | 17:06
Formula 1 in Austria
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen further extended his overall lead with a Spielberg sprint win. The Dutchman confidently rode his Red Bull to victory on a long wet track on Saturday, ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari.
Nico Hülkenberg, who was even second in his Haas racing car at times, finished in the points for the second time this year after 100 kilometers. He earned three points for a strong sixth place finish. At the top of the standings, Verstappen is now 70 points ahead of Perez.
Spielberg’s main race takes place on Sunday (3:00 p.m. / Sky). Verstappen is lucky to claim his seventh Grand Prix victory in the ninth race of the World Championship in first place on the grid. Last year he finished second to vice-world champion Charles Leclerc, but he had already celebrated a total of four Grand Prix victories at the Red Bull Ring.
Follow training, qualifying and the race from 06/30/2023 to 07/02/2023
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen took pole position in the second qualifying session for the Austrian Grand Prix. The 25-year-old raced his way to first place on the grid for the sprint a few hours later with a superior time of 1:04.440 minutes. Behind the Red Bull driver from the Netherlands, his teammate Sergio Perez finished second, third was Lando Norris in the McLaren. Nico Hülkenberg finished fourth in the Haas race car at Spielberg.
Record world champion Lewis Hamilton won mercedes surprisingly only 18th and unlikely to progress in the short race over just 100 kilometers on Saturday afternoon. His teammate George Russell finished 15th in the second Silver Arrow after being unable to drive in the second qualifying session due to a hydraulic problem.
During the weather hunt, it was noticeably cooler than a summer Friday. After hours of rain, the track became increasingly dry as the unit progressed. The use of rain tires was not necessary.
The main race in Styria takes place on Sunday. Verstappen is in luck to claim his seventh victory of the season in the ninth race of the World Championship in first place on the grid. He leads the general classification of the World Championship with a lead of 69 points over the Mexican Perez.
Max Verstappen keeps his first place in the Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutchman was summoned by the race marshals on Friday evening after the time hunt, but there were no consequences. The 25-year-old has been accused of hampering Team Haas’ Kevin Magnussen on the track. But that wasn’t the case, as Formula 1 announced. That means Verstappen will start the race from pole position on Sunday and is aiming for his seventh victory in the ninth race of the season.
After an appearance in Canada, Formula 1 returns to Europe. At the home race of Max Verstappen’s world champion team at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday in Spielberg, Austria, almost everything points to the Dominator’s next victory. Nevertheless, Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin do not despair of getting closer during the Grand Prix of Styria.
The defending champion has already won six of the eight World Championship races and comfortably leads his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in the overall standings by 69 points. Even the Mexican seems unable to stop Verstappen on his way to the number three title before mid-season without any particular incident. Verstappen has already won three times at Spielberg. In 2022, however, the 25-year-old had to give up behind Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. It doesn’t look like Verstappen can be stopped by the competition again.
For the second time this year, two races will take place in Styria. First there is the Saturday sprint, before the Grand Prix proper follows a day later. If Verstappen wins both races, he can – even without an extra point for the fastest race lap – take a total of 33 world championship points with him and continue to rush. Tens of thousands of fans from the Netherlands will be there and create a party atmosphere. However, the party-mad Dutchman also caused some problems last year. Cases of sexual harassment of female fans following excessive alcohol consumption have been reported. Such incidents should now be avoided with more law enforcement officers.
Strong performances in qualifying were followed by disappointments in the race. Before the ninth round of the season, the only German driver on the field had entered the top ten only once with his Haas race car. The 35-year-old Rhinelander would like to get World Championship points again, but the very short track with just ten corners – the fewest in the Formula 1 season – and a length of just 4.318 kilometers should only help Hulkenberg to an extent limited. extent.
“We are working hard on it and trying to find what we can do in the next races to do better,” said team boss Günther Steiner. Hülkenberg finished 15th in Canada after starting from fifth place.
As usual, pay-TV channel Sky is showing all weekend units live. The first and only practice session begins Friday at 1:30 p.m., followed immediately by qualifying for the main race at 5:00 p.m. Saturday is entirely devoted to the sprint: first, from 12:00 p.m., the starting formation is determined, before the second race of the season over 100 kilometers from 4:30 p.m. is about World Championship points. The race starts Sunday at 3 p.m.
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