With the Sprint Shootout and the sprint race on Saturday, there has been lots of action at the
Red Bull Ring, but the most important part of the
Formula 1 weekend is still to come: the
Austrian Grand Prix. Can
Max Verstappen once again pull away from pole position and disappear into the horizon?
F1 LIVE | The 2023 Austrian Grand Prix
Verstappen, once again, set the tone on Saturday in Spielberg by not only securing himself the first starting spot on the grid but by converting that spot into a win in the sprint race.
Red Bull Racing saw its cars cross the finish line both first and second, scoring a perfect result.
The talk of the night after the sprint race was the duel between Verstappen and teammate
Sergio Perez. The Mexican got away better from his starting spot and took the lead before the first corner, but that did not take him away from the championship leader. Verstappen went on the attack but got little space from Perez. After regaining the lead, he also did not allow his teammate a millimetre of space on the track.
There is no chance of the same scenario repeating itself during Sunday's race because Perez will have to start from the front row in the sprint race. On Sunday, he will have to settle for 15th place on the grid. Verstappen again starts from pole but has the Ferraris of
Charles Leclerc and
Carlos Sainz in his wake.