2023-07-01 15:45:56
Podcast “Behind the Headlines”
For the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday (3 p.m. / live ORF 1, Sky), Verstappen had already secured first place on the grid on Friday, ahead of last year’s winners Charles Leclerc and Sainz in the two Ferraris. Verstappen, who won the sprint like last year, analyzed the race visibly calmly. “We’re fast, that should be okay tomorrow.” Despite a tricky situation with Verstappen shortly following the start of the race, Perez was also satisfied. “We got the maximum points for the team. There are no problems, we talked regarding them. The conditions were difficult,” explained Perez.
Verstappen also saw no drama as far as the situation with his first World Cup pursuer was concerned. “There’s no big story there. We talk regarding it, explain our points of view and solve the situation,” said the 25-year-old, addressing the journalists present with a smile: “You don’t have to write articles regarding it unless you want clicks. “
The two Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finished fourth and fifth, Nico Hülkenberg was sixth in the Haas. The Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who started from positions 15 and 18, finished eighth and tenth as the track dried out. Leclerc, who had been moved back three places to ninth on the sprint grid due to an “unnecessary handicap”, finished twelfth.
In the short race in wet conditions over 24 laps, the field started on the intermediate tires. Perez got off to a better start than Verstappen in second and put himself in front of his team-mates in the first corner. On the following straight, he pushed Verstappen onto the grass a little, but the double world champion grabbed the lead once more with a late braking maneuver before turn 3. The big beneficiary of the situation was Hulkenberg, who found himself in the unfamiliar role of the first pursuer of Verstappen.
“He pushed me off the track, what’s the point?” Verstappen raged on the pit radio. Perez saw the tricky situation a little differently. “What’s wrong with Max?” the Mexican asked. Hulkenberg defended his second place until halfway through the race, then Perez and Sainz passed the German in quick succession. As a result, the track dried up a little, and six laps before the end, some drivers switched to dry tyres. Including Hülkenberg, for whom the pit stop was ultimately a zero-sum game.
At the first home race following the death of company founder Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull is aiming for the 101st victory for the team. In front of many Dutch fans in orange once more, Verstappen is hoping for his fifth triumph in Styria and his seventh success in the ninth race of the season. Perez won the first sprint of the year in Baku. Four more sprint races are still on the racing calendar this year, in Spa, Qatar, Austin and Brazil.
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