Charles Leclerc revived his Formula One championship aspirations by resisting the siege of Max Verstappen by winning the Austrian Grand Prix for his third win of the season on Sunday.
While Leclerc celebrated, the race turned out to be a fiasco for Carlos Sainz, his teammate at Ferrari. Just when Sainz seemed poised to overtake Verstappen’s Red Bull and take second, the Spaniard’s car’s engine broke down.
Leclerc struggled in the closing laps as his throttle wasn’t working properly, making it difficult for him to control his speed through the corners.
“Let’s go!” Leclerc yelled over the radio after crossing the finish line. “I was scared, really scared. Yes!”
The Monaco driver managed to withstand Verstappen’s attacks and beat the Dutchman by 1.5 seconds.
“I badly needed this win, the last five had been very tough,” Leclerc said. “The end was quite complicated, he had a problem with the accelerator.” Verstappen scored the bonus point for posting the fastest lap, adding it to the eight he earned for winning the sprint on Saturday.
Lewis Hamilton came in third with Mercedes for his third podium finish in a row. George Russell, with the other Mercedes, was fourth.
For the Mexican Sergio Pérez, the experience in the Spielberg circuit was dire. The Red Bull driver retired on lap 26 as a result of damage sustained from a contact with Russell on the first lap.
The abandonment of “Checo” Pérez opened the door for Leclerc to displace him from second place in the drivers’ championship. Verstappen leads the standings with 208 points, followed by Leclerc (170) and Pérez (151).
