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Spielberg (AP), Austria-Max Verstappen had no problems as he won the sprint race from Paul at the Austrian Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. rubbed each other with just one point, making his efforts easier.
They almost clashed, Leclerc was dissatisfied with the team’s decision, and tensions seemed to continue from last Sunday’s British Grand Prix, where Sainz won.
Positions from the sprint set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, so Verstappen will start from the front for his fifth win on his Formula One team’s home track, Spielberg. Verstappen thinks the car is a little slower than expected.
“It’s not surprising in qualifying yet, it’s still a bit heavy,” he said. “It’s just a limitation we have, we still need to lose weight in the car.”
This week, Leclerc talked about the division within Ferrari following Silverstone. Following the safety car, he was puzzled by Team Principal Mattia Binotto’s decision to keep him out for track positions rather than switching to faster tires.He was also leading Monaco Ferrari made him pit in a new tire and he finished in 4th place..
Leclerc was asked if he and Sainz could work together to catch Verstappen on Sunday.
“I really hope so,” he said frankly. later. He added, “I don’t know the rules of involvement. We don’t decide. Become Mattia.”
Sainz insists on “the team we solve it” and they can work together.
“We both intend to make Max’s life as difficult as possible for the rest of the championship,” Sainz said, “he’s far ahead and needs to be pushed flat.” “We need to make sure that the stint is near at the beginning and near at the end,” he said.
Ferrari wasn’t there on Saturday either. It was controlled by Verstappen.
He got off to a clean start, giving off an orange flare and coasting 23 laps over the 4.3km (2.7 miles) Red Bull Ring, full of Dutch fans dressed in orange to cheer for the F1 champion. rice field.
“Verstappen, who won six of the ten races so far, was a decent race. It will be an interesting race tomorrow. The car is good,” he said.
Verstappen’s second sprint victory of the season gave him another eight points. Leclerc scored 7 points in 2nd place and Sainz scored 6 points in 3rd place with the top 8 points.
Verstappen has improved to 189 points overall, leading Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez by 38 points and Leclerc by 44 points.
George Russell collected 5 in 4th place. Perez drove brilliantly from 12th place and finished in 5th place, scoring 4 points. Esteban Ocon was sixth for Alpine, with Kevin Magnussen and Lewis Hamilton of Haas scoring one point.
Sainz overtook Leclerc first, but Leclerc quickly overtook him to regain second place.
When Sainz tried to pass on lap 6, Ferrari brushed each other and Leclerc held him back. Sainz headed for it again on the next lap and passed inside, but Leclerc returned to the inside as tensions increased.
“It was a lot of fun, as it should have been … Race,” Sainz said. “Maybe the tires were a little overheated and I was running behind Charles. I had to retreat and finish the race.”
Mick Schumacher actively defended from Hamilton until the seventh F1 champion overtook him on lap 21.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was 8th on the grid, but had a problem with the Alpine car and didn’t start.
Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu’s engine was cut on the formation lap, forcing Alfa Romeo drivers to start from the pit lane a week later. Survived the crash at the British Grand Prix.
Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel retired when Aston Martin told him to bring his car to the garage on lap 22. ($ 26,000).
Vettel “expressed frustration at the meeting” and left before the end.
“Drivers can’t leave freely when they want,” F1 said. “Drivers at this level are role models for all drivers around the world, and in Steward’s opinion, Vettel failed to meet that standard.”
Vettel then apologized to the race director without a reservation, F1 said.
Seven drivers were summoned for a radio message on the second formation lap as Alonso and Zhou’s problems delayed the start of the sprint slightly. However, no action was taken after the team audio was checked.
Just a while ago Sainz He led the second practice ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen. Russell was 7th and Hamilton was 9th. Mercedes repaired both cars after crashing in qualifying..
“It was a great effort for the team and I’m glad I got the points,” Russell said.
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