Max Verstappen continued his Formula 1 winning run with a dominant display around the Red Bull Ring as he also bagged a late fastest lap at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix.
In their home race, the Austrian team was a league above the rest as Verstappen cruised to victory for his fifth win in a row as Red Bull maintained their 100 percent winning record in F1 2023.
After momentarily losing the lead to Charles Leclerc, the Dutchman comfortably caught up and passed the Ferrari driver, pulling 24 seconds clear which prompted the question of a pit stop for fastest lap.
The world champion pitted for fastest lap for a moment of showboating that demonstrated his desire to win, delighting his Orange Army, despite the concerns of race-engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
He was joined on the podium by Leclerc and Sergio Perez, who finished third after starting in 15th in a strong comeback drive for the Mexican.
Verstappen set a fastest lap of 1:07.012 to finish five seconds ahead of Leclerc, but the pace difference was far greater than the final gap shows.
The Dutchman’s fastest lap was 1.1 seconds faster than Perez‘s and 1.45 seconds faster than Lance Stroll, who set the fastest non-Red Bull lap in Austria.
Driver of the Day at 2023 Austrian GP
Lando Norris was voted as the driver of the day at the 2023 Austrian GP.
McLaren bounced back to form in Europe, as Norris enjoyed a strong race with an updated MCL60.
The young driver finished 5th, beating Lewis Hamilton‘s Mercedes and holding off Fernando Alonso‘s Aston Martin.
It looked as though Norris could even steal a podium in Spielberg but the pace of Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez proved to be too much in the end.
Nonetheless, the weekend was very encouraging for McLaren who were competitive against their engine supplier and an Aston Martin car that has largely been second fastest in 2023.
Where is the next F1 2023 race?
With the F1 circus finished in Austria, we move on to the 2023 British Grand Prix which will be held at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England over the weekend of July 7-9.
