Formula 1: Verstappen shines in a record scene

Max Verstappen’s name was at the top of the final stat every day the Red Bull Circuit was driven at race pace as part of the 36th Austrian Grand Prix. Not only was the 25-year-old fastest in the only free practice session, but he also won heats, shootouts, sprints and finally the main race. With his 42nd win, Verstappen leaves behind the great Ayrton Senna and is only fifth in all-time statistics.

“It was a great race. The car was on fire,” said Verstappen after his win on Sunday, his seventh of the season and fifth in a row. “Amazing day, I really enjoyed it. I just enjoy the moment driving the car and working with the team.” The two-time world champion extended his lead over teammate Sergio Perez in the championship to 81 points. The Mexican finished third in the race behind last year’s Monaco winner Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who had “raced” the legends before the Grand Prix, was also delighted: “This weekend for us, is incredible.” For the Austrian racing team, Verstappen’s all-season win was the tenth in a row. The world champions are just one win away from tying 1988 McLaren for the longest winning streak. That could happen as early as next Sunday at Silverstone (4pm, live on ORF1).

Subsequent time penalties cause excitement

Verstappen also seemed unimpressed by the dominant issue of track limits on the ‘Bullen’ home track in Upper Styria. The competition kept struggling with canceled times, cautions, and even time penalties in qualifying and races. At the Grand Prix on Sunday, there were more attempts to “smear” the rivals than to overtake them.

After the race, eight drivers were given time penalties for leaving the circuit without permission. This came from an official document sent out by the racing series late Sunday evening. Although the race result within the top ten was changed due to an influx of penalties, the podium positions were not affected.

France’s Esteban Ocon of the Alpine racing team received the maximum penalty, with four penalties. A total of 30 seconds were added to his race time. In addition, violations by Nyck de Vries (AlphaTaure / 15s), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes / ten), Pierre Gasly (Alpine / ten), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari / ten), Logan Sargeant (Williams / ten), Alexander Albon (Williams/Ten) and Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tori/Five). “Leaving the track several times without a valid reason” was the explanation for the penalties. Sainz and record world champions Hamilton and Gasly all lost world championship points because they went backwards.

Aston Martin Racing had earlier lodged a protest over its ninth round classification of the season. After that, an investigation and investigation session was conducted. And 1,200 cases had to be examined. It wasn’t possible during the race because of the crowd.

Frustration in Hamilton

Hamilton, who received a penalty five seconds early for exceeding track limits, complained several times during the race about the consequences to his opponents. However, the Briton also struggled with his Mercedes in other ways and eventually had to finish eighth, behind young teammate George Russell. A remarkable dialogue between Hamilton and team boss Toto Wolff showed just how deep the frustration is in the Mercedes box. An annoyed Viennese responded to another complaint from his senior driver, “Louis, we know the car sucks. Please just drive it.”

On the other hand, Ferrari gave a strong signal of life in the Red Bull circuit, where “Scuderia” celebrated its last victory so far, thanks to Leclerc, as it finished second to Monaco and fourth to fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz. “I think on Friday and today we maximized what we had. It’s good to be back on the podium,” said Leclerc, who was already looking forward to the next race in Great Britain. “He always looked good at Silverstone, and hopefully we can keep up the pace and challenge Red Bull.” a little”.

Visitor record and contract extension

While the Union Jacks will once again dominate the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, England, the national color of the Netherlands set the tone at Spielberg this weekend. The attack of the “Orange Army” gave the organizers in Eichfeld a new visitor record. After more than 300,000 fans made a pilgrimage to the circuit last year, this year 304,000 spectators made the pilgrimage to Spielberg over the entire race weekend and secured a largely peaceful show.

The scene in Aichfeld, also popular with drivers, would remain with the racing circuit at least until the end of the decade. Because shortly before the start of the race, the operator of the Red Bull Ring and the F1 organization announced the extension of the current contract for another three years. This means that the Austrian Grand Prix will remain on the calendar until 2030. Tickets for the 2024 edition can be purchased from Monday – and given the rush, you probably shouldn’t take too much time with it.