© Getty ImagesA hard day at home for the Bulls Read the full report from Austria.
TheBullsenduredanightmarehomeraceattheRedBullRingwithMaxVerstappen’sAustrianGrandPrixendingafterjustafewhundredmetreswhenhewassmashedofftrackbyMercedesrookieKimiAntonelli,whileYukiTsunodasufferedthroughatorridafternoondefinedbybruisingchallenges,timepenaltiesandarace-longstruggleforpace.
Getting Ready For The Home Race© Getty Images
At the start, McLaren’s Lando Norris got away cleanly from pole to take the lead. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was slower away from the other side of the front row and he was passed by Oscar Piastri as they went through Turn 1.
Behind them, Max also made a good start, and he snuck past VCARB driver Liam Lawson to take sixth place. On the way up the hill, Max shaped to attack Mercedes’ George Russell around the outside into Turn 3, but as he did so, George’s teammate Kimi Antonelli made a dive down the inside as he tried to progress from ninth on the grid.
The Italian rookie locked up, slid through the corner and smashed into the side of Max’s RB21, unfortunately taking both drivers out of the race before the end of Lap 1.
Max's Race Is Cut Short© Getty Images
Kimi later apologised to the Champion saying he was “super sorry to [Mercedes] and to Max of course, as he was just a passenger. It was a big mistake.”
With both cars stranded at the edge of the track, the Safety Car was immediately released and Lando settled in ahead of Oscar and Charles, with the second Ferrari of Lewis in fourth ahead of George and Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto. Further back, Yuki made a solid start, and he took up position in 16th.
When the Safety Car left the track the battle between the leading McLarens kicked into gear and on lap 6 Oscar attacked. Lando shrugged off the first assault but a few laps later Oscar tried again, diving down the inside as they went into Turn 3. Lando gave way and as Oscar drifted to the outside of the corner, the Briton cut inside and out dragged his teammate down to Turn 4.
The tussle continued over the course of the first stint, with Oscar probing and pushing for an error from his teammate. Lando hung on and got the advantage of pit stop priority. That was the key to breaking Oscar’s charge and though the Australian was a constant threat, Lando was able to hang on through the final two stints to take the win ahead of his teammate and Ferraris Charles Leclerc.
Further back, as the first stint evolved, Yuki was able to make his way through the pack and as the first stops unfolded, he climbed 10th muscling his way past Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll just ahead of a dive into the pits for a set of Hard tyres.
Team Effort© Getty Images
The Japanese driver emerged in P16 and he quickly made his way to 14th. However, on lap 31 his race unravelled.
Yuki used DRS to close on the Argentinian on the run up the hill from Turn 1 and then set up a move on the run to Turn 4. The Bull went for the inside line but with Franco pinching the exit, the pair made contact. The Alpine driver was sent into a spin and Yuki, with damage to the front of his RB21, was forced back to the pits for a new wing and a set of Medium tyres. The Japanese driver’s pain misery was compounded soon after when he was handed a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision.
Yuki Gets Back To Work© Getty Images
In the final stages of the race, Yuki and Franco again were side-by-side. The Argentinian locked up into Turn 3 and Yuki was able to hold P15. Franco, trying to recover and get into the Bull’s slipstream, then forced second-placed Oscar Piastri, who was trying to lap the pair, off track onto the grass. The Alpine driver was quickly handed a five-second time penalty, but with Yuki getting 10s added to his time when he crossed the line the Red Bull driver still finished 16th and last of the race finishers, behind the Argentinian.
Behind the top three, Lewis Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, while Liam took his highest race finish in sixth place for VCARB. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was seventh ahead of Sauber pair Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg, and the final point went to Haas’ Esteban Ocon.
