Sprint Race Report - Verstappen wins

Esteban Ocon
© Alpine

By Mark Karp

Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 sprint race at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, prevailing after a brutal lap one battle with team-mate Sergio Perez in wet conditions.

At the start, Perez made a slightly better getaway compared to polesitter Verstappen and then shot to the inside alongside the pitwall as the pair raced to Turn 1.

Perez forced his way ahead of Verstappen and then cut him off so forcefully on the run up the hill through the Turn 2 kink Verstappen briefly had to put his right-side wheels on the grass.

Then at Turn 3, Verstappen sent his car back up Perez's inside from a long way back and the Mexican driver had to take to the run-off, from where he rejoined behind Verstappen.

Their tangle held up Lando Norris, who fell from third into the final places in the top 10, while Hulkenberg got such a good run he was able to benefit when the Red Bulls fought again in Turn 4.

Perez was again on the outside and lost momentum as Verstappen saw him off, with Hulkenberg getting such a better run out of the long downhill right-hander and through Turn 5 he was able to surge ahead on the next downhill corner, the fast left of Turn 6.

That left Verstappen clear to ease ahead, taking chunks of time from Hulkenberg over the opening phase of the 24-lap race.

Hulkenberg initially kept Perez at arm's length, with Sainz following the second Red Bull closely as the pack behind fell away, but by half distance and with Verstappen nearly 10s clear Perez was able to mount an attack.

Perez retook second on lap 12 with a better exit compared to Hulkenberg coming out of Turn 4, with Sainz also getting the Haas the next lap with a better exit from Turn 3 as Hulkenberg began to struggle for tyre life left on his intermediates.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had made good progress from their sprint shootout qualifying to run just outside the top 10 when Russell became the first driver to switch to slicks on lap 15.

His pace on the softs encouraged nine others to switch to slicks, although not the Red Bulls or Sainz, who ran untroubled to the finish in their established order to the finish, with Verstappen winning by 21.0s over Perez.

Sainz was a further 2.0s adrift by the finish, while behind the similarly inters-shod Aston Martins battled to the finish, with Lance Stroll holding off Fernando Alonso in fourth and fifth.

Hulkenberg ended up as the top slicks finisher as Haas opted to pit him for mediums on lap 17 having spotted Russell flying on the softs in the pack behind.

He had to make a last-lap pass on Esteban Ocon at Turn 1, but Hulkenberg was able to recover back to sixth by the finish.

Russell nearly got Ocon too having shot up the order with his early decision to change tyres paying off, finishing in a near dead-heat with the Alpine as they flashed down the start-finish line.

Norris took ninth ahead of Hamilton, the McLaren driver having engaged in an early race battle with Ocon and Charles Leclerc, who ended up 12th after a late battle with Alex Albon and Oscar Piastri, who were all passed by Hamilton during the second Mercedes driver's charge on slicks after he had come in two laps after Russell.