Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) won the Austrian F1 Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull) after an unpredictable race until the end, thus signing his third victory of the season and the second of in a row for the Scuderia.
The Monegasque driver, victim of accelerator problems, finished less than 2 seconds ahead of the Dutchman, who retains the lead in the World Championship after 11 rounds contested out of 22 with 38 points ahead of Leclerc.
“It was a very good race with good pace. I had a problem with the accelerator, and I only had 20 to 30% left, but I was able to manage it until the end,” said the young Monegasque driver after the finish.
He had not finished on the podium in the previous five Grands Prix and saw himself trailing Verstappen in the championship mid-season. “It was time” to win another victory – his fifth overall in F1 – acknowledged Charles Leclerc, 24.
It is also the second victory in a row for Ferrari after that of Carlos Sainz Jr at the British Grand Prix the previous Sunday. In the championship, the Scuderia is now 56 points behind Red Bull.
“It’s been two wins in a row, and it was important to get back to the top after a few races where we had shown our potential, but without winning,” said Matia Binotto, the boss of the Scuderia.
The podium is completed by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) who records his third 3e place in three races. The seven-time world champion, who had a difficult start to the season, took advantage of the retirement of the other Ferrari, driven by Carlos Sainz Jr, whose engine caught fire while trying to snatch second place in Verstappen about ten laps from the finish.
“We suffered with the tires,” said Verstappen in support of the relative underperformance of Red Bull. “But it’s still a second place,” he said.
“It’s a pity for the fans, I couldn’t offer them a victory”, he regretted at the place of the tide of his supporters and those of Red Bull who came to watch the race on the Austrian circuit of Spielberg, owned by the giant of sodas Red Bull and the team of the same name.
Unacceptable remarks
The F1 promoter said on Sunday before the race to open an investigation into behavior deemed “unacceptable” by supporters present at the Austrian Grand Prix.
According to a statement, Formula One has been made aware that “some fans have been the subject of completely unacceptable comments from other fans” since the first test on Friday. “This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. All fans should be treated with respect,” Formula One stressed.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, very committed to the fight against racism, reacted to this behavior by saying that he was on Instagram on Sunday “disgusted to learn that some supporters are confronted with racist, homophobic and generally aggressive behavior on the circuit this weekend.
Verstappen said after the race that “it was fantastic to have all this support today. But I heard shocking things. It’s not right, and what happened is not right. I shouldn’t have to say that on a weekend that should be a celebration of Formula 1 racing at home.”
Spectators had notably booed Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, the two Mercedes drivers, when they left the road on Friday during qualifying for the sprint race, won by Max Verstappen on Saturday.
The other Red Bull, Sergio Perez, retired early in the race on Sunday after a collision with George Russell, who finished fourth ahead of Frenchman Esteban Ocon’s Alpine.
The next race is scheduled for the Circuit du Castellet, France, on July 24.