The pleasure will no doubt be palpable, not least with the remarkable form shown by Leclerc in fending off a challenge from title rival Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was second at the Red Bull Ring after a definitive display of power for Leclerc and Ferrari, who set a blistering pace at Spielberg. Indeed, Ferrari could have done a one-two only for their hopes to be dashed when Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz was forced to retire, his engine catching fire near the end. It was a dramatic and scary moment for the Spaniard as he crested the hill at turn three. He could not get out of the car because taking his foot off the brake he rolled backwards. He was forced to remain in the cockpit as the flames licked closer until marshals could place chocks under the wheels and allow him to escape unharmed. Sainz’s impressions were strong when asked about his impressions of the incident. “Fire. Lots of fire,” he said. The events and process surrounding the release will be investigated. For Lewis Hamilton there was reason for optimism as he took third place for Mercedes. His team-mate George Russell was fourth, making a big recovery after dropping to 18th at one point. Esteban Ocon was fifth for Alpine. It was a tense but thrilling affair played out in the grand, picturesque amphitheater of the Styrian mountains, where 60,000 of the 105,000 crowd were Dutch fans who had come to see Verstappen go one step further to his second title. Leclerc was in no mood to follow their script. Carlos Sainz finally escapes from his burning Ferrari. Photo: Antonin Vincent/DPPI/Shutterstock The win was significant for the 24-year-old as it was his first return to the top tier since round three in Australia. After a series of mechanical failures and poor strategic decisions saw Verstappen build up a huge lead, he reignited his title race. The championship lead has already narrowed between the two, with Leclerc leading by 46 points after the Aussie turned to Verstappen’s 44 advantage in that race. Leclerc reduced that to 38 points and now halfway through the season and with 11 games remaining, a turnaround in his favor is not out of the question. The style in which he did it also matters. In a truly competitive car Leclerc was indomitable in Austria, passing Verstappen on track three times during the race to secure victory. This is as good as Ferrari looks from Melbourne and while Red Bull struggled with their tire degradation, the Scuderia were comfortable with their rubber. “I kept being optimistic, but hard race after hard race I felt like everything was against me,” said Leclerc. “We finally had a breakthrough and had a good race today, it’s nice to get a win again.” Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the podium at the Red Bull Ring. Photo: Leonhard Föger/Reuters Ferrari brought their first upgrades of the season to Barcelona and another series at Silverstone, where Sainz won, and it’s clearly hit the spot. Their pack once again looks ominously strong. Verstappen admitted Red Bull had no answers. “I expected them to be strong,” he said. “I just didn’t expect them to be this good. We need to analyze and understand why this happened.” He had been beaten hard in a classic three-act sequence. Verstappen led from pole only to be caught by Leclerc as they battled a tight toe-to-toe until the Monegasque struck. On lap 11, late on the brakes on the inside at turn four, he made a strong pass. Red Bull went on the offensive, hitting Verstappen early on with the fresh rubber yielding so much that when Leclerc stopped he appeared behind him once again. Leclerc chased down Verstappen again and with a new tire made a positive pass at turn three. He now held all the cards, able to cover every second stop for the Red Bull driver. Verstappen duly stopped again and Ferrari were once again out by pitting Leclerc again 13 laps later. He came out three seconds behind, with one more pass needed. Quick guide
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Thanks for your response. He duly caught the Dutchman and passed him on the inside at the exit of turn 3 on lap 52. A virtual safety car was deployed when Sainz left and a tense final 10 laps followed as Verstappen pushed and Leclerc reported problems with his throttle but held his nerve to take the flag. Red Bull had tried every alternative but Ferrari’s pace advantage was simply too much and this time they managed Leclerc to perfection. Sainz’s fiery engine failure will be a concern, but the Scuderia will feel they are well and truly back in the race. Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen were sixth and eighth for Haas. Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo seventh and ninth for McLaren and Fernando Alonso 10th for Alpine.
