Leclerc dents Verstappen’s championship lead after victory at Red Bull Ring

Charles Leclerc took victory on Red Bull home soil, besting Max Verstappen while teammate Carlos Sainz retired.

Following yesterday’s thrilling Sprint, Verstappen lined up at the front of the pack followed by a Ferrari duo, who set their sights on a win following a difficult Saturday afternoon.

How they line up on Sunday ?#AustrianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/W4VvDzWtHH

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2022

A strong start for the leading Red Bull saw him untouched on the opening lap while Sainz fought George Russell for third. After Russell had been overtaken, the Brit made contact with Sergio Perez who found himself in the gravel on the exit of turn four.

This removed Perez from the race, with the Mexican pitting at the end of the opening lap before quickly being lapped by his teammate and retiring before the halfway mark. Russell was handed a five-second penalty for the incident.

Quickly, Leclerc closed up to the back of Verstappen. The Ferrari’s first attack came on lap ten but remained behind his rival. Two laps later, the move would be done and Leclerc now led the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman would respond a lap later by pitting for hard tyres, while track limit warnings soon began to creep into the Grand Prix. Leclerc and Sainz would box 12 laps later, allowing Verstappen back into the lead. But soon enough, the lead was snatched back on lap 33, and the prancing horse was back in front.

After losing the lead, Verstappen moved to another set of hard tyres with the likes of Russell copying the strategy. Ferrari would not immediately respond but later opted to pit their drivers, forcing them to repeat their previous moves.

Once again, Leclerc and Verstappen fought for the lead, with Leclerc attempting a move on the outside of turn three before cutting to the inside, using the F1-75’s traction to best the championship leader.

Next up was Sainz. As the Spaniard sized up his old teammate, his engine failed, forcing him to pull off of the road and quickly escape his flaming Ferrari. Hamilton now moved into third, while Sainz was left devastated on the sidelines.

LAP 58/71

Drama. An engine failure for Sainz. He's out of the race.#AustrianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/WDPKmvRxqm

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 10, 2022

Tension filled the team’s garage, as Leclerc began to report throttle issues in the closing stages. The gap between the leading pair began to tick down as Red Bull smelt blood in the air.

Luckily for Leclerc, the issue did not prevent him from winning his first race since the Australian Grand Prix, followed closely by Verstappen while Hamilton claimed a third consecutive podium.

Speaking to David Coulthard, Leclerc spoke about the stress of the end of the race following his teammate’s retirement, saying:

“Weirdly, it was more or less at the same time so of course I had it in my mind. I knew it was not a problem with the engine because it was really the pedal that was feeling weird.

“First, I had pickup and then at the end it would not come back to zero. But, luckily, it went until the end of the race.”

However, he went on to say that the result gives him hope that he can reignite his title fight from here.

“I definitely needed that one. I mean, the last five races have been incredibly difficult for myself but also for the team, obviously.

“To finally show that we have the pace in the car and that we can do it is incredible. So, we need to push until the end.”

The drivers will now have two weeks off before Formula 1 continues its season at the Circuit Paul Ricard, for the 2022 French Grand Prix.

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