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The 2023 Austrian Grand Prix was a battle for the ages, with Max Verstappen coming out on top for his fifth straight victory at the Red Bull Ring. Not that him being on the top step is a surprise, but that the rest of the race was very entertaining, was a welcome change.
Lights Out
Verstappen started the race from pole position and led for the majority of the race, but was challenged by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz throughout.
In the early laps, he was able to build a comfortable lead over Leclerc and Sainz, leaving behind a mixed mid-field where really, all the action was. Norris complained about Hamilton going off-track multiple times, while Sainz held back from attacking Leclerc. Further down the track, both Perez and Russell went wheel-to-wheel as they worked their way to points; with Perez eventually coming out on top.
But all the drama was on radio communication. From Toto pleading with Lewis Hamilton to just keep driving, and pretty much everyone complaining about the track limits as the FIA handed out penalties like it was popcorn at the cinema, it was a great race for audio entertainment.
Track Tactics
With every driver fighting the track limits, Nico Hulkenberg decided to park his smoking Haas because of a power issue. This triggered a Virtual Safety Car, and thus began the dancing of the order. When Verstappen finally pitted, his run of 294 laps led came to an end; and a Ferrari 1-2 became reality. Albeit for a brief bit. By lap 34, this dream was broken (again!) and the double-reigning world champion was back in the lead! On the opposite end of the train of cars, De Vries and Magnussen threw it back to Canada and battled it out.
Chequered Flag
The race didn’t necessarily finish once it ended. There was still plenty to be dealt with. Namely, penalties that we finally handed out, over hours after the chequered flag was waved. The final results? The podium remained the same with Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez's positions unchanged. Norris, Alonso, Russell and Stroll all moved up a place, with Hamilton and Gasly dropping one each. Ferrari's Sainz dropped two though Alpine's Ocon had it the worst, with a 30-second penalty that had a lot of people saying he was driving on another track entirely.
The 2023 Austrian Grand Prix has set the tone for an exciting, action-packed July before we break for the summer. Onto Silverstone!