The FORMULA 1 ROLEX GROSSER PREIS VON ÖSTERREICH 2023 was a race to remember, with track limits becoming the unexpected star of the show, as an unprecedented number of drivers earn penalties for violations. In the end, it was Max Verstappen’s race to win, as his teammate made a spectacular recovery drive from P15 at the start.
Max Verstappen got away well from pole position, moving to the inside to cover off Charles Leclerc into the first corner. Leclerc stuck with Verstappen, looking around the outside of turn 3, but being unable to get by the leading Red Bull. He tried again on the outside of turn 4, but had to settle for P2 on the opening lap.
The safety car was deployed at the end of the lap to clean the debris in the first corner. The debris was from the front wing of Yuki Tsunoda. The AlphaTauri driver clipped the rear tyre of Esteban Ocon’s Alpine when attempting an optimistic overtake on the inside of the first corner. Later in the lap, Tsunoda missed his braking point in the fourth corner, running wide into the gravel and pitting for a new front wing.
The race resumed a couple of laps later, but Verstappen was able to push ahead outside of the DRS range of Leclerc behind. With no DRS, Leclerc, who started on a set of used medium tyres, quickly came under attack by his teammate. Despite appearing to be the faster Ferrari, Carlos Sainz was told to stay behind Leclerc in the opening stage of the race.
Further back, track limits were quickly becoming a point of contention, with Lewis Hamilton being shown the black and white flag for track limits on just lap 13 of the race. Other drivers were also having lap times deleted for the similar infractions, especially in the final corner of the lap.
Nico Hulkenberg was the first driver to retire from the race, parking his smoking Haas deep in the escape road on the outside of the third corner on lap 14. The virtual safety car was deployed to allow marshals to clear the stricken car. This triggered a frenzy in the pit lane, as drivers rushed to take the cheap pit stop. The call was too late for Ferrari to pit their drivers, but they were able to do it the following lap at the first end of the virtual safety car.
Sainz was disappointed with the decision, believing it would have been best for him to stay out. He rejoined the race behind Lando Norris, but was able to get by the McLaren the following lap.
Fans were treated to some action in the mid-field, with a train of cars all jockeying over the final points scoring positions. This created many side-by-side moments and fantastic overtakes.
Near the front of the field, Hamilton was given a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits, complaining that the car was handling poorly. He was not alone, as Tsunoda also earned himself the same penalty. The team radios were flooded with drivers all snitching on their fellow competitors for track limits violations.
With a pit stop over the leading Red Bull, Leclerc was now the net race leader, although having only used medium tyres he was guaranteed to make a second pit stop later in the race. Verstappen finally pitted on lap 25, changing to the hard compound tyres. He rejoined narrowly behind Carlos Sainz, but made quick work of the Ferrari after getting his tyres up to temperature.
Further back, Norris was able to get his McLaren into the top four after passing Lewis Hamilton after the seven-time champion ran wide in turn 3. Norris was looking as if he could challenge for a podium position in the race. His spirits were almost certain raised by the announcement that Carlos Sainz had earned a five-second time penalty for track limits, which the Spaniard would have to serve in his second pit stop later in the race.
By half race distance, Verstappen was on the back of the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. With fresher tyres, it was not much of a challenge for Verstappen to take the lead of the race. With higher than expected tyre degradation, Ferrari began to contemplate the three-stop strategy for Leclerc, but their suggestion was rejected by the Monegasque.
Nyck de Vries landed himself in hot water with the stewards when he forced Kevin Magnussen off the road in turn 6. Magnussen was trying to overtake around the outside but had to take evasive action through the gravel. The move earned de Vries a five-second penalty.
In the second half of the race, Norris was the first of the top drivers to pit for new hard tyres on lap 42. Mercedes responded the following lap pitting Hamilton, but with a five-second penalty to serve, Hamilton rejoined the race well down the field. Sainz was next to pit on lap 46 to cover off the threat from Norris. He rejoined the race just behind the McLaren, but was able to get by on his out-lap.
Leclerc pitted the following lap, unleashing Sergio Perez into P2. Perez, who had started the first in P15 after having his lap time deleted during qualifying for track limits, had made a great recovery to find himself with a podium finish in sight. He made his final pit stop on lap 51, dropping him down to P5.
With many drivers earning penalties for track limits throughout the after, Yuki Tsunoda was the first driver to be handed a ten-second penalty for track limits, although he would not be last.
With fresher tyres and the quickest car on the grid, Perez charged his way around the circuit, making quick work of Norris. Sainz proved to be a bigger challenge. With just over ten laps remaining in the race, Perez was right on the back of the Ferrari. He was able to get ahead of Sainz in the tight turn 3, but Sainz was able fight back and able to take the position back with DRS on the run into turn 4.
A couple of laps later, Perez used DRS to permanently take P3 on the run down to the fourth corner. It looked as though Sainz may have had a chance to fight back again as Perez ran slightly wide in the fourth corner, but the Red Bull driver was able to hold it.
Despite the strong pace, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to challenge Leclerc for P2 and would have to settle for the bottom step of the podium, still a great accomplishment given his starting position.
At the front, Verstappen was not content with just winning the race, he wanted to take the bonus point for the fastest lap of the race as well. At the time, that point was in the hands of his teammate Perez. With a 23 second margin over Leclerc, Verstappen pitted for the soft compound tyres in the closing laps of the race, setting his fourth fastest lap of the season.
But it is the plethora of penalties dished out during the race was that will surely be a talking point among fans. An unprecidented nine drivers earned at least 1 penalty for track limits, including Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Nyck de Vries, Alex Albon, Logan Sargeant, and Kevin Magnussen.
Next up will be the British Grand Prix around the iconic Silverstone Circuit in a week’s time. The race will be held on July 9.
| Pos. | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 |  | |
| 2 | 18 | ||
| 3 | 15 | ||
| 4 | 12 | ||
| 5 | 10 | ||
| 6 | 8 | ||
| 7 | 6 | ||
| 8 | 4 | ||
| 9 | 2 | ||
| 10 | 1 | ||
| 11 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 14 | |||
| 15 | |||
| 16 | |||
| 17 | |||
| 18 | |||
| 19 | |||
| DNF |
