Formula One is in Austria this weekend for the second race in a triple header. But before the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2024 on Sunday, fans were treated to a sprint race. It was a battle between McLaren and Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen got away well from pole position after an extra formation lap for an aborted start. Oscar Piastri also had a strong start, fighting side-by-side with his teammate in the first couple of corners. Lando Norris was able to hold off Piastri to maintain P2.
When DRS was enabled, Norris kept his McLaren all over the back of the leading Red Bull, partially thanks to the triple DRS zone around the Red Bull Ring. He saw his opportunity on lap five, lunging into turn three from a long way back. He moved into the lead, but Verstappen fought back and retook the position on the inside of turn four.
Getting overtaken by Verstappen left Norris vulnerable to his teammate, who had stuck with the two leaders for the opening laps. Piastri put himself alongside his teammate on the exit of turn four and got the move down by hanging around the outside of the sixth corner. He managed to stick onto the back of Verstappen for a few laps, but eventually fell out of DRS range, allowing Verstappen to extend his lead.
Further back, both Ferrari teammates had a strong start to the race. Charles Leclerc gained three positions on the opening lap, converting his P10 start to P7. Carlos Sainz also promoted himself to P4 in turn four with a move around the outside of George Russell.
The Ferrari pace dropped off in the second half of the sprint race. This was enough for Russell to take his position back from Sainz with DRS around the outside of turn four on lap eight. Lewis Hamilton put a little pressure on Sainz in the closing stages but was never able to challenge him for position.
Further back, Nico Hulkenberg caught the attention of the stewards for an incident with Fernando Alonso. Hulkenberg promoted himself to P14 with a lunge on the inside of turn three on lap 19. He locked his right front tyre, running wide and forcing Alonso off the circuit. This cost Alonso a position to Daniel Ricciardo, dropping him to P16 while Hulkenberg finished P14. The stewards will decide if punishment is warranted after the race.
Before long, the 23-lap sprint race came to an end. Max Verstappen crossed the line first, collecting eight points for his championship. Oscar Piastri fended off his teammate to keep P2, while Lando Norris had to settle for P3.
The sprint race was only a taste of what’s to come this weekend. Qualifying will be held in the afternoon to determine the starting positions for the main event tomorrow.
UPDATE: Nico Hulkenberg was given a 10-second time penalty after the race for forcing Fernando Alonso off the circuit on lap 19. This drops him from P14 to P19 in the sprint results.
