2022 Austrian Grand Prix race report and highlights: Leclerc shrugs off reliability scare to overtake Verstappen for Austrian Grand Prix victory

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc received the Austrian Grand Prix over Crimson Bull’s Max Verstappen with Lewis Hamilton finishing the rostrum for Mercedes – after Carlos Sainz retired.

Leclerc took the lead when the Dash winner and championship chief Verstappen pitted on Lap 12. Leclerc pitted a lot later, on Lap 27, and retook the lead with a go on Lap 37. With Sainz difficult Verstappen for P2, the Dutchman pitted once more on Lap 37.

Leclerc took his second cease on Lap 51 and retook the lead on Lap 53. With Sainz proper on Verstappen’s tail, the Spaniard abruptly slowed – the hearth on the rear of his Ferrari signalling the tip of his race. That promoted Hamilton, who had battled from P8 to P4, to the ultimate podium place.

Regardless of a late-race scare through which Leclerc reported his throttle pedal to be sticking, making downshifts tough and permitting Verstappen to shut to inside 2.3s, he received for the primary time since Spherical Three at Melbourne, Verstappen lacking out on a third-straight win on the Crimson Bull Ring.

George Russell was a distant fourth having began there, the Mercedes driver shedding time in his first pit cease – a five-second penalty additionally tacked on as he collided with Crimson Bull’s Sergio Perez early on. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon rounded out the highest 5 having began sixth, Perez having retired quickly after that Russell collision.

Mick Schumacher was the followers’ Driver of the Day, having overtaken each McLaren’s Lando Norris (P7 having served a five-second time penalty for exceeding monitor limits) and Haas group mate Kevin Magnussen in P8. Daniel Ricciardo made it a double factors end for McLaren in P9, each the group’s drivers having fun with renewed tempo with their medium-hard-hard technique.

Fernando Alonso rounded out the highest 10 from final on the grid for Alpine, having needed to pit 3 times – a doubtlessly unsafe launch inflicting him to return in twice throughout the Digital Security Automotive brought on by Sainz’s retirement.

Ranging from the pit lane, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas made it as much as P11 at Alex Albon’s expense, the Williams driver having completed 12th after beginning 15th.

Lance Stroll was subsequent within the order, 13th for Aston Martin, with Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu simply behind in P14. Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda struggled for AlphaTauri, ending 15th and 16th respectively. Harm picked up early on, nonetheless, left Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel 17th following a collision with Gasly for which the Frenchman was penalised.

Sainz was the third retiree, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi and Perez additionally bowing out, but Ferrari have scored two consecutive victories to pile some stress on championship chief Verstappen forward of the French Grand Prix.

Because it occurred

Pre-race theatrics on the Crimson Bull Ring – together with parachutists, a jet-engined truck and pilots pushing the bounds – performed undercard to the best present, 20 drivers dealing with off for supremacy within the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.

Nineteen drivers lined up on the grid with Valtteri Bottas ranging from the pit lane, pole-sitter and Dash winner Max Verstappen to steer the sector forward of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz – Fernando Alonso final on the grid with a brand new energy unit.

Clouds hovering over the circuit, solar poking out, the formation lap obtained underneath approach with no hitch – everybody bar Zhou Guanyu, Yuki Tsunoda, Sebastian Vettel and Alonso beginning on medium tyres.

Verstappen scythed throughout the entrance of Leclerc at the beginning, Sainz going broad at Flip 1 however recovering to remain forward of George Russell – on whom Sergio Perez tried a transfer across the exterior of Flip 4, ran out of room and was tapped into the gravel into final place from the place he pitted with injury to tackle onerous tyres at the beginning of Lap 2.

With Lewis Hamilton taking an excessive amount of of the kerb out of Flip 1 on Lap 4, Mick Schumacher blazed previous for P7 and had eyes on his Haas group mate up forward. On the very entrance, Leclerc was in DRS vary of Verstappen, Sainz one other 2.5s again and Russell struggling to maintain tempo after his contact with Perez, for which the Briton would obtain a five-second time penalty – the Mercedes main a prepare of automobiles as much as Lando Norris in P9.

The Ferrari of Leclerc was menacing within the mirrors of Verstappen, nonetheless trailing the Crimson Bull – each having lapped Perez by this level – on Lap 10, when he’d make his transfer and virtually made it into the lead down the within of Flip 3. Leclerc tried once more, switching to the skin of Flip 4, however Verstappen retained P1.

“I can’t maintain this lengthy,” stated Verstappen as he started to really feel the warmth. Lap 12, and Leclerc was proper on his tail, braking late into Flip Four and taking the lead down the within.

Russell took his five-second penalty within the pits on Lap 12, rising final with a brand new nostril and onerous tyres in a sluggish cease, releasing Esteban Ocon into P4.

Verstappen tried to hit again on Lap 13, locking up into Flip 4, and shortly complied with the message to field, pitting for hards on the finish of the lap. The cease wasn’t ultimate and the reigning champion left the pits in P8. Norris was subsequent to pit, coming in and giving the Dutchman one other place.

A little bit down the order, Hamilton was now on the tempo, executing a surprising transfer on Schumacher for P5 down the within of Flip 7 on Lap 15 and taking the subsequent spot off Magnussen quickly after. The Dane pitted however Schumacher stayed out, the Crimson Bull of Verstappen in his mirrors earlier than blasting previous on the run to Flip Three on the subsequent tour.

Up subsequent for Verstappen was the Mercedes of Hamilton – an important go needing to be made if he was to problem the Ferraris. The seven-time champion fought off his 2021 title rival initially, however needed to give approach on the run to Flip Four on Lap 18. The query now was whether or not Verstappen had misplaced an excessive amount of time within the strategy of taking P3.

Within the lead, Leclerc and Sainz continued to lap previous Lap 20 with Verstappen choosing up the tempo and shutting the hole.

Alonso made it as much as P8 by Lap 20 however let group mate Ocon, on newer tyres having pitted from P4 on Lap 15, previous him. Ocon battled with Zhou and handed him inside Flip Four on Lap 23. Alonso, nonetheless, couldn’t make it previous Zhou for P8 and was caught behind him for quite a few laps. That allowed Magnussen to shut the hole on newer tyres and ship it down the within of Flip 1 and set off a five-car battle for place into Flip 3.

In that five-car scrap, Norris additionally loved his tyre benefit (having stopped for hards on Lap 14) to hop into P9 behind Magnussen – Zhou pitting for the beginning of Lap 25 – with Alonso then shedding P10 to Schumacher, who had pitted for tyres on Lap 16. Schumacher pried P8 off Norris – who felt aggrieved that he hadn’t been given sufficient room into Flip Four throughout that transfer.

Verstappen bearing down, Leclerc pitted and emerged third on Lap 27, seven seconds between him and the Crimson Bull, whereas Sainz held a 10-second benefit within the lead earlier than pitting on the next lap to emerge fourth behind Hamilton. That cease for Sainz noticed Verstappen retake the lead.

Hamilton would pit for hards in a cease that lasted 4.1 seconds – to cowl off an undercut from Ocon – and emerge side-by-side with the Frenchman within the battle for P4 on Lap 29. Ocon edged forward however misplaced out to the Briton getting into Flip Three on the next lap.

Leclerc was pushing, the hole to Verstappen right down to 1.5s on Lap 31, and two laps later he had DRS on the Dutchman, chopping down the within and taking the lead again with ease at Flip 3. The reigning champion radioed to say that the automotive was “unpredictable” as he stared down a 1.5 second deficit to the Monegasque – aiming to guard a four-second benefit on Sainz.

Schumacher, in the meantime, continued his sturdy present of tempo, passing Magnussen (who ran broad at Flip 7) on Lap 34 for P6. The Dane would lose one other place to Norris on Lap 42 after which pull in for an additional pit cease. Norris then again had a five-second penalty for transgressing monitor limits.

Lap 37 noticed Verstappen bail out with Sainz in his mirrors, the Crimson Bull driver pitting from P2 for hards and emerge nicely away from Hamilton. The Dutchman was quickly informed to “simply match Hamilton’s lap occasions”, the seven-time champion simply over six seconds behind – Leclerc having fun with the identical benefit over his group mate Sainz.

Leclerc took his second pit cease on Lap 51, one lap after group mate Sainz, to launch Verstappen again into the lead – a lead that amounted to only two seconds over the primary Ferrari, and simply seven to the second of Sainz in P3.

Leclerc bore down on the Dutchman and on Lap 53 got here the go for the lead as he loved a superior exit from Flip 4, main Verstappen to say: “What a joke that traction is.”

Sainz was proper on Verstappen’s tail however on Lap 57, the Ferrari driver slowed and pulled off the monitor. Quickly, particles and flames started to pour out of the engine bay and thru the scalloped sidepods of the Scuderia – however Sainz managed to climb out safely.

He sat on a grassy financial institution, his expression conveying equal quantities of frustration and disbelief. That triggered a Digital Security Automotive, Leclerc and Verstappen pitting for mediums with Hamilton now third, having taken a free cease for a set of mediums on Lap 52. Alonso was the opposite taker, pitting simply because the VSC ended on Lap 60.