MAX VERSTAPPEN has increased his mammoth lead at the top of the Driver's Standings with victory at the Austria Grand Prix!
Charles Leclerc came in second while Sergio Perez was third.
Lewis Hamilton picked up a five second penalty as he endured an unhappy afternoon.
BETTING SPECIAL – GET £30 IN FREE BETS ON THE F1
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST ONLINE CASINOS FOR 2023
Follow all the action with our live blog below…
- By Kieran Davies
Orange wall celebrates Verstappen win
It was never any clearer who the fans were supporting today.
As Max Verstappen crossed the finish line, the party officially started.
Orange flares being let off, they got what they wanted to see today.
- By Kieran Davies
Red Bull have dominant day on track
With two of the three podium places in the bag, Red Bull now move 199 points clear in the constructor's championship.
It is surely an impossibility for them to lose from this position.
Their pit stops were by far the best today and the finishes of Verstappen and Perez were a real team effort.
- By Kieran Davies
Verstappen moves one step closer
Not many would bet against Max Verstappen winning yet another world title.
With each race, he heads closer to that target.
An army of Dutch fans celebrating, it was another great drive by Verstappen.
- By Kieran Davies
Bold move by Red Bull
With only two laps to go, Max Verstappen pitted and changed to soft tyres to try and set the fastest lap.
A perfect pit stop and the plan works as the Dutch driver sets the fastest time on his last lap of the race.
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- Lando Norris (Maclaren)
- By Kieran Davies
Max Verstappen wins the Austrian Grand Prix
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 69/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Lando Norris takes a corner very wide and is likely to see a black and white flag for that.
The last thing he wants now is a five second penalty.
Sergio Perez has managed to build a 3 second lead on Carlos Sainz.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 67/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Time is running out for the drivers looking to take third place from Sergio Perez.
Max Verstappen is heading towards his fifth victory in Austria.
That is the most wins he has had at any track.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 65/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
The battle for the final podium place is enthralling.
Three drivers all have their eyes on it.
Only four seconds separates Norris, Sainz and Perez.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 63/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Leclerc has a 12.5 second lead over Perez in third.
Verstappen seems on course for yet another victory.
Meanwhile, Norris and Sainz are still trying to put pressure on Perez in third.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 61/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Max Verstappen now has a 20.4 second lead over Charles Leclerc.
Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz are having some fight for the podium places.
Eventually, the Red Bull manages to edge his way into third place.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 59/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
The battle for third is really heating up.
With both Perez and Sainz having DRS available it is a titanic battle.
Only half a second separates the two drivers.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 57/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Sergio Perez has clocked the fastest lap of the day.
As he puts pressure on Lando Norris, the Red Bull manages to take him on the corner and move into fourth.
Perez will now be targeting Sainz in third place.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 55/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Hamilton complains to his team about other drivers not receiving penalties for breaking track limits.
Toto Wolff tells him to "just drive the car" despite the problems they are having with it today.
Meanwhile, Verstappen has a 16.3 second lead over Leclerc in second.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 53/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Perez comes out of the pits in fifth position.
Hamilton has now dropped into seventh place.
Lando Norris is looking to put some pressure on Carlos Sainz in third position.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 51/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
It has been a while since we saw two Red Bulls leading the race.
Perez has had a real dip in form, with qualifying being a real problem for the Mexican.
As he heads into the pits, Charles Leclerc takes second place back.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 49/71 – Verstappen leads, Perez second
As Charles Leclerc heads into the pits, Sergio Perez takes second place.
It is a Red Bull first and second as it stands.
Leclerc currently sits in third place, seven seconds behind the Red Bull.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 47/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Carlos Sainz is not messing around as he takes Lando Norris on the corner after serving his five second penalty.
There are big gaps between the top four drivers now.
Sainz will be looking to close the gap on Perez in third.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 45/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Max Verstappen now has a 12.4 second lead on Charles Leclerc.
The Dutch driver is proving to be more of a machine than his car.
Lando Norris now moves up into fourth place.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 43/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Sergio Perez overtakes Fernando Alonso with ease.
The Red Bull driver moves into fifth but is quickly in fourth as Lewis Hamilton enters the pits and has to serve his penalty.
Fernando Alonso now sits in fifth place as Hamilton re-enters the race in eighth position.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 41/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Lando Norris will get a warning for track limit violation.
Max Verstappen now holds the fastest lap of the day.
Carlos Sainz is in third and try to put pressure on his Ferrari teammate.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 39/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Max Verstappen looks focussed having to surrender his lead when he came out of the pit lanes.
Having only just overtaken Leclerc, he is building a bigger lead by each lap.
The gap between first and second is now 4 seconds.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 37/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Charles Leclerc tried all he could to resist the Red Bull there.
As much as people praise the Red Bull car, you cannot forget about the driving abilities of Max Verstappen.
He now builds a 2.5 second lead on the Ferrari.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 35/71 – Verstappen leads, Leclerc second
Max Verstappen is right on the tail of Charles Leclerc.
After pitting he was seven seconds behind the Ferrari, now Leclerc is having to defend for his life.
Verstappen takes the Ferrari on the inside of the corner, brilliant move by the Red Bull driver.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 33/71 – Leclerc leads, Verstappen second
Leclerc tells his team the degradation of the tyres may require three stops in this race.
Drivers are struggling with the track limits and plenty of penalties are being handed out.
Verstappen is closing the gap on Leclerc with every lap.
- By Kieran Davies
Lap 31/71 – Leclerc leads, Verstappen second
Sergio Perez takes George Russell and moves into eighth place.
Tsunoda is being investigated for not serving a penalty correctly.
Verstappen is now 2.8 seconds behind Leclerc.
Source: Read Full Article