Formula 1’s 2023 Austrian Grand Prix Race Review
Red Bull shines in from of their home crowd
Qualifying
The 2023 Austrian Grand Prix qualifying was an intense and eventful session, resulting in Red Bull’s Max Verstappen securing his fourth pole position of the season. However, it was a challenging day for his teammate, Sergio Perez, who faced setbacks due to exceeding track limits and failed to make it into Q3. Verstappen expressed his satisfaction with the pole position but acknowledged the difficulty of the session due to the strict enforcement of track limits. On the other hand, Perez was disappointed with his performance, especially his final lap. Mercedes also had a mixed day, with Lewis Hamilton qualifying fifth and George Russell getting knocked out in Q2. Lance Stroll outperformed Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin camp, claiming sixth place. Alonso, qualifying in seventh, will have a tough task ahead for the race on Sunday.
Sprint Race
Max Verstappen triumphed in the thrilling 2023 Formula 1 Sprint Race at the Austrian Grand Prix, outshining Sergio Perez. The wet-dry conditions added to the excitement as Verstappen dominated the competition and crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of Perez and Carlos Sainz. The race featured a frenetic pace, with the leaders sticking to intermediate tires while others failed to catch up. The race also introduced the ‘Shootout’ qualifying session, awarding extra points to the top eight drivers. Despite some starting grid adjustments and challenging weather, Verstappen’s victory remained unchallenged, making the event truly memorable.
Race Day
The 2023 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix was a thrilling event that saw Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing emerge victorious, making it his fifth consecutive win and seventh of the season. Verstappen’s dominant performance led him to beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who finished second and third.
Despite an action-packed encounter at the Red Bull Ring that saw several drivers penalized over track limits and strategies differ, Verstappen remained unstoppable. He was one of the few drivers to stay out during an early Virtual Safety Car period. Leclerc briefly led the way after taking advantage of the VSC, but he fell back behind Verstappen as the pair worked through their opposing tire plans, and the Red Bull showed its raw pace.
Sergio Perez delivered a fine recovery from 15th on the grid to end a difficult run and take his first podium since the Miami Grand Prix four races ago, overtaking Carlos Sainz in the closing stages and making the most of the Ferrari driver’s time penalty for track limits. However, a post-race review by the stewards saw Sainz handed a 10-second time penalty for track limit violations, promoting Lando Norris to P4, capping off the Briton and McLaren’s encouraging weekend with their batch of upgrades.
The race was not without its share of penalties and protests. Logan Sargeant, Nyck de Vries, and Yuki Tsunoda all received additional five-second penalties. At the same time, De Vries, Lewis Hamilton, Alex Albon, and Pierre Gasly were all handed 10-second time penalties post-race. Esteban Ocon was retrospectively handed a pair of five-second penalties and a pair of 10-second penalties.
The final order behind Norris in P4 was Fernando Alonso in fifth, with Sainz sixth, followed by the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in seventh and eighth. Lance Stroll was promoted a place from the provisional classification to claim ninth, ahead of Gasly in 10th and Albon in 11th. The penalties promoted Zhou Guanyu to 12th (up from 14th at the flag), ahead of Sargeant, Ocon, and Valtteri Bottas in P15. Oscar Piastri, De Vries, Kevin Magnussen, and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the order.
Up next is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where action is no stranger to the circuit and Formula 1.
| RANK | DRIVER | COUNTRY | TEAM | FASTEST LAP |
| 1 | MAX VERSTAPPEN | NETHERLANDS | RED BULL | 1:07.012 |
| 2 | CHARLES LECLERC | MONACO | FERRARI | |
| 3 | SERGIO PEREZ | MEXICO | RED BULL | |
| 4 | LANDO NORRIS | BRITAIN | MCLAREN | |
| 5 | FERNANDO ALONSO | SPAIN | ASTON MARTIN | |
| 6 | CARLOS SAINZ JR | SPAIN | FERRARI | |
| 7 | GEORGE RUSSEL | BRITAIN | MERCEDES | |
| 8 | LEWIS HAMILTON | BRITAIN | MERCEDES | |
| 9 | LANCE STROLL | CANADA | ASTON MARTIN | |
| 10 | PIERRE GASLY | FRANCE | ALPINE | |
| 11 | ALEXANDER ALBON | THAILAND | WILLIAMS | |
| 12 | ZHOU GUANYU | CHINA | ALFA ROMEO | |
| 13 | LOGAN SARGEANT | UNITED STATES | WILLIAMS | |
| 14 | ESTEBAN OCON | FRANCE | ALPINE | |
| 15 | VALTERRI BOTTAS | FINLAND | ALFA ROMEO | |
| 16 | OSCAR PIASTRI | AUSTRALIA | MCLAREN | |
| 17 | NICK DE VRIES | NETHERLANDS | ALPHA TAURI | |
| 18 | KEVIN MAGNUSSEN | DENMARK | HAAS | |
| RETIRED | YUKI TSUNODA | JAPAN | ALPHA TAURI | |
| RETIRED | NIKO HULKENBERG-LAP 12 | GERMANY | HAAS |
