Austria is Verstappen country

Max Verstappen has now surpassed Ayrton Senna! The Dutchman once again prevailed safely in Austria and, with 42 career triumphs, now has one more to his name than Brazil's motorsport legend. At the same time, the 25-year-old increased his lead in the overall standings in Spielberg to 81 points over teammate Sergio Perez. The third world title in a row is only a matter of time for the dominator.

The day after first place in the sprint, Verstappen also took the most points in the main race. He relegated Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Perez to second and third place. Seven victories in nine World Cup races, five of them in a row: the defending champions simply cannot be stopped. Around 50.000 Dutch people among more than 100.000 fans in the stands celebrated their hero with orange smoke pots and deafening noise.

Thousands of Oranje fans ensured a Verstappen home game. © APA/afp / JOE KLAMAR

Shortly before the start the field of drivers had of the young pilot Dilano van't Hoff who died in an accident thought. After that, Verstappen was once again the focus. The defending champions were in a class of their own all weekend. He followed up his best training time with pole position for the main race on Friday. On Saturday he took first place on the grid for the sprint, which he won with a huge lead over Perez. And the Dutchman also dominated the Grand Prix on Sunday from the start. Only four racing drivers have won more times in Formula 1 than Verstappen: Lewis Hamilton (103 victories), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51).

At the start, Verstappen fended off Ferrari star Leclerc's attacks quite effortlessly in the first few corners. Then the safety car came onto the track because Yuki Tsunoda, a bit cocky, scattered parts of the front wing of his Alpha Tauri across the asphalt in the hustle and bustle. After the short clean-up work, Verstappen quickly pulled away from his pursuers.

Leclerc and Ferrari on the rise When Nico Hülkenberg rolled off the track shortly after his first pit stop and a technical defect, the race management decided on the virtual safety car and most of the field rushed to change tires. The Red Bull duo Verstappen and Perez, on the other hand, continued driving and only got fresh sets of tires ten laps later. The race stewards also continued to have something to do. There were repeated warnings because drivers drifted off the prescribed lines in curves. Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz even received five-second time penalties in the fight for a podium place.

On lap 35, Verstappen ended Leclerc's brief time at the lead. After his pit stop, the champion quickly passed Sainz and then reduced Leclerc's lead lap after lap. The Ferrari, which was equipped with fresh components, could not keep up with the superior Red Bull, although it was clearly on the rise. Verstappen steered alone towards his next triumph and even drove the fastest lap of the race at the end.

The final result

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Hockey

Tennis

Winter sports

Learn More

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Austria is Verstappen country

With the next gala ride, Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen kept the resurgent Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in check on Sunday. It was a celebrated home win for Red Bull in Spielberg.

Comments (0)