Wayne Lumbasi
Just as Charles Leclerc’s championship’s hopes were drifting slowly away, his seven-race winless run ended with a much-needed victory in Austria, spoiling the party for tens of thousands of Max Verstappen’s orange army.
Despite struggling with technical problems later on due to a faulty throttle, Leclerc held just enough pace to keep Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at bay.
The victory is Leclerc’s first since April’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The win was necessary for the Ferrari superstar as he had several instances of bad luck this season. This success surely brings him back into the championship fight, with a dozen more races to go.
Red Bull’s Verstappen finished second. Lewis Hamilton took third for Mercedes after starting eighth for his third podium finish in a row as his season finally begins to come together. Team-mate George Russell followed him home in fourth place.
Carlos Sainz retired with an engine failure, his car rolling to a halt and flames erupting from the rear, with 14 laps to go while close on Verstappen’s tail. Sainz was forced to quickly evacuate as race stewards struggled to keep the flames under control.
