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F1 Sprint Race | 2024 Austrian GP | Verstappen wins, while McLaren secure a double podium

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Jamie Cooper
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After an exciting Sprint Race in Austria, Max Verstappen wins, after nail-biting battles with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

It’s a beautiful day in Austria as teams completed their final preparations and drivers headed to the grid for today’s Sprint.

Weather forecasts predicted a maximum of 30°C at the Red Bull Ring, accompanied by a light southerly wind, promising a warm day ahead.

Carlos Sainz had secured P5 in the previous day’s Sprint Qualifying, but his teammate found himself in late drama as SQ3 concluded.

As all cars exited the pits for their flying laps, Leclerc’s Ferrari suddenly halted in the pit lane. He lost crucial seconds restarting it and couldn’t reach the start/finish line in time for a flying lap.

“I don’t know what happened. I got the anti-stall in the pit lane and then everything shut off,” Leclerc explained afterward.

Though Ferrari wasn’t challenging for pole position, their pace indicated they were stronger than P10, suggesting Leclerc could advance during the race.

Lewis Hamilton didn’t hold back his disappointment after Sprint Qualifying. Despite starting P6, there was optimism about Mercedes’ performance at the Red Bull Ring.

“The entire session was a disaster from my perspective,” Hamilton lamented.

“Practice felt good, the car felt good in general. We clearly lacked the pace for pole, but yeah, it was a very bad session — every lap of it.”

The drivers embarked on their formation lap, led by Verstappen. Lando Norris, feeling under the weather earlier on the weekend, hoped adrenaline would sharpen his edge for the race.

Start aborted

The race began, then stalled, and then restarted. After the confusion of the initial start, they finally got underway, reduced to 23 laps due to the extra formation lap.

Max Verstappen made a brilliant start, with Oscar Piastri challenging his teammate closely. Norris defended second place well, with Aston Martin’s pair almost colliding at Turn 1, but they escaped unscathed.

Verstappen maintained his lead after the first lap, with Sainz overtaking Russell for P4 with an impressive move around Turn 4. Meanwhile, Leclerc climbed to P7, just behind Hamilton.

Starting from the pit lane due to setup changes, Alex Albon found himself at the back of the pack.

Norris attempted a move at Turn 4 using DRS, but Verstappen held firm. McLaren showed strong performance, hinting at a potential battle for victory.

Stroll passed Ocon for 10th, while Tsunoda advanced to 13th. Norris kept close to Verstappen, trailing by just half a second.

Norris briefly took the lead on lap 5 with a superb move uphill, but Verstappen swiftly reclaimed his position at Turns 4 and 5. Oscar Piastri capitalised on the exchange, moving past Norris into second.

Russell overtook Sainz at Turn 4 to reclaim fourth place.

Verstappen maintained a one-second lead over Piastri.

Verstappen, having defended against Norris, extended his lead to 1.7 seconds.

Gasly aimed to pass Ocon for P11, adding to the intra-team Alpine battle watched closely by the cameras.

Gasly continued to battle Ocon. Although not a points-scoring fight, it showcased the competitive spirit within the Alpine team, despite Ocon’s impending departure.

Meanwhile, McLaren managed tyre wear as Norris closed in on Piastri, poised to retake second place. Norris pressured Piastri, gaining advantage with DRS. Verstappen extended his lead to 2.4 seconds over Piastri.

Further down the order, Ricciardo overtook Sargeant for P16, a position not typically contested by the Red Bull-affiliated driver.

The McLarens stayed in close competition. Norris remained on his teammate’s tail as Verstappen increased his lead to 3.2 seconds. Norris received warnings for exceeding track limits, suggesting he was pushing hard.

As the Sprint neared its end – seemingly fleeting – Verstappen appeared poised for victory, showcasing his control under pressure.

Piastri continued to hold second place ahead of his teammate Norris.

Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc, and Pérez completed the top eight.

Hülkenberg’s aggressive move at Turn 3 saw Alonso forced off the track, dropping the Aston Martin driver to 15th. Immediately after, Ricciardo overtook him, pushing Alonso down to 16th. It wasn’t a fortunate day for the Spaniard.

The stewards have taken note of the incident involving Hülkenberg.

The chequered flag was waved – Max Verstappen wins the Sprint Race!

Max Verstappen clinched victory in the Sprint in Austria, with Piastri and Norris securing P2 and P3 respectively.

Verstappen impressively regained control of the race after briefly losing ground to Norris on Lap 5. This marked his 10th career Sprint win, a triumph warmly celebrated by the Austrian crowd.

Feature Image: Red Bull Content Pool

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