Defending champion Max Verstappen continued his relentless cost in direction of a 3rd world title on Sunday when he claimed a document fourth Austrian Grand Prix victory in emphatic model. The 25-year-old Dutchman completed 5.155 seconds away from a revived Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, in second, with Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, exhibiting revitalised kind, taking a battling third after beginning fifteenth on the grid. In a race of attrition, punctuated by Safety Cars and influenced by a excessive variety of drivers’ receiving penalties for exceeding monitor limits, Verstappen’s unbroken run of laps led ended on 249, when he pitted.

But it was solely a pause in his serene progress to a fifth consecutive victory, seventh in 9 races this yr to increase his lead forward of Perez within the title race to 81 factors.

It adopted the Dutchman’s success in Saturday’s dash and with the quickest lap gave him a most factors haul from the weekend.

“That is the full sweep, classy Max, very very classy,” stated Red Bull boss Christian Horner over the group radio.

“The car was on fire!” replied Verstappen after his forty second profession win.

Despite a 3rd title being his to lose Verstappen stated he most popular to take it one race at a time.

“I don’t like to think about that yet,” he stated.

“I am just enjoying driving this car and racing for this team. The sprint weekend can be very stressful so I’m just glad it all went to plan.”

His win complete lifted him to fifth within the all-time record of winners and away from Ayrton Senna, with whom he had shared 41 victories since profitable in Canada.

Including a triumph within the 2022 Styrian Grand Prix, run throughout the Covid pandemic, this was Verstappen’s fifth win on the Red Bull Ring circuit general.

Leclerc and Perez have been additionally happy with their performances.

“We have maximised what we have,” he stated. “It was just yesterday that I was off it a bit. The upgrades have worked as expected, but there is still a lot of work to do.”

Perez stated: “It’s been a rough patch for me so I hope we are back now and we can keep some consistency.”

Leclerc’s second place earned Ferrari their 800th podium end as team-mate Carlos Sainz completed fourth forward of McLaren’s Lando Norris, two-time champion Fernando Alonso and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

‘Please drive it’

Pierre Gasly was ninth for Alpine and Lance Stroll tenth within the second Aston Martin.

The race was preceded by a minute’s silence in reminiscence of Dutch racer Dilano van’t Hoff, 18, who was killed racing in heavy rain at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday.

In heat and dry circumstances, Verstappen made a clear begin and on lap 25 of the 71, he pitted, handing the result in Leclerc to finish his run of 249 consecutive laps led since lap 48 on the Miami GP.

The Dutchman swiftly regained second, nevertheless, after which swept inside Leclerc at Turn Three, on lap 35, to regain the lead earlier than each Norris and Hamilton pitted, the latter serving his penalty, as did Sainz, after taking new exhausting tyres.

Verstappen pitted once more on lap 50, for recent mediums, retaining his lead, and was adopted by team-mate Perez, in a fast 2.4 seconds that despatched him out fifth to chase each Ferraris and Norris over the closing laps.

By then, seven drivers had taken penalties – together with Sainz, Ocon, Gasly and Albon – with Tsunoda including an additional 10-second hit for monitor limits a second time and Hamilton’s annoyed fuming prompted a radio rebuke from group boss Toto Wolff.

“Lewis, the car is bad,” he stated. “We know it. Please drive it.”

There have been no grumbles from Verstappen who made a late cease in 2.3 seconds for delicate tyres and a profitable bid to steal quickest lap from Perez – a daring sprint that thrilled the huge ‘Orange Army’ of Dutch followers in a sell-out crowd.

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