Charles Leclerc pips Max Verstappen to victory at Austrian GP

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came second while Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished third.

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc competes on the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc won the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came second while Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished third.

This was Leclerc’s third win of the year and Ferrari’s first at the Red Bull Ring since Michael Schumacher in 2003.

“It was a really good race. The pace was there. At the beginning, we had some good fights with Max and the end was incredibly difficult. I had this issue with the throttle. It would get stuck at 20 or 30% throttle in the low speeds, so it was very tricky. We managed to make it stick until the end and I am so happy,” Leclerc said after the win.

“I definitely needed that one. The last five races have been incredibly difficult for myself and for the team. To finally show that we have the pace in the car and we can do it is incredible. We need to push until the end.”

Verstappen meanwhile looked at the positives: “It was a tricky day. It seemed like we were struglging quite a bit with the tyres, and that happened on every compound - too much degredation on the tyres. But second place is still a good result for us on a tricky day.”

Lewis Hamilton thanked his team for their hard work: “It’s been a bit of a rough weekend, but really grateful that as a team we got third and fourth so we move on from here. I do want to say a thank you to the men and women in the garage who worked so hard to rebuild the car.”

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz had to retire from the Austrian Grand Prix with his car erupting in flames.

The Spaniard -- who won the British Grand Prix last Sunday which was his maiden Formula One success -- pulled off the circuit on lap 58 and onto the safety gravel.

There was a worrying moment when smoke engulfed the car with Sainz still stuck in the cockpit.

But marshals arrived and Sainz got out safely.

Verstappen’s team mate Sergio Perez, who had been second overall, also retired with a damaged car after a first lap collision with Mercedes’ George Russell.

The starting grid was set by a Saturday sprint, the second of the season, won by Verstappen from pole position with Leclerc second. The top eight in that race also took points.