Engine on fire: fear and retreat for Sainz. This is how the Red double fades Charles’ relief: “Problems with the accelerator, I was afraid I wouldn’t make it”
SPIELBERG (AUSTRIA)
It was an extraordinary Austrian Grand Prix for intensity and emotions that Charles Leclerc won without dominating, but as a true champion, in the Red Bull fief of Spielberg, at the end of 71 laps full of twists, duels and overtaking.
The Monegasque driver had to overtake Max Vertappen, his rival in the title race three times – one before the start, the others after their respective pit stops – to finally be right. And in the final he sweated cold, when a problem with the accelerator threatened to mock him, ruining the splendid race he had built up there. Third came Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), with a gap of over 41 ”, author of a conservative race and never in the heat of the fight.
The Red could have caught a sensational double if Carlos Sainz’s power unit hadn’t gone up in flames (during the 57th lap) while the Spaniard – third at that moment – was busy chasing Verstappen and was recovering tenths out of tenths. A one-two was so faded that in the Ferrari-Red Bull match it would have been heavy, even for morale.
With 11 GPs to go, Leclerc still regained second place in the drivers’ standings, 38 points behind the leader Verstappen (208 to 170). Sergio Perez (who retired yesterday after a contact with Russell on the first lap) is third at -57, Sainz fourth at -75. “Thanks guys, but how afraid” were Leclerc’s first words, addressed via radio to his garage, immediately after the finish line. When he got out of his car, he then confirmed what the telemetry had anticipated, namely that he had had in the last few laps “a problem with the accelerator, which stopped at 20-30% of power”, remaining open with obvious problems under braking, ” especially in slow curves “.
«What a beautiful battle with Max – said the Ferrari driver – I had a great pace, I’m really happy. After the last five races without the podium I wanted to show what I am capable of. I always show myself positive, but it was becoming difficult … ». The other side of the Ferrari medal was the spectacular technical failure that ignited Sainz’s engine and then the bonnet: «We will have to analyze what happened to Carlos. Sorry for a potential brace that was within our reach – admitted the team principal Mattia Binotto – It means that there is still work to be done on reliability. But we can rejoice in the second victory in a row which gives us hope for the rest of the world championship ».
Even though he missed his fourth win at Red Bull since he was behind the wheel of the Austrian brand, Verstappen was still quite satisfied: “We suffered with balance and grip, both front and rear and with both compounds – he explained. the Dutchman, highly acclaimed by the 50,000 compatriots in the stands – Second place is therefore precious, we maximized a bad day. The Ferrari? I was not surprised, he was fast also on Saturday ».
Drivers standings: 1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 208 points; 2) Charles Leclerc Ferrari 170; 3) Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 151; 4) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 133; 5) George Russell (Mercedes) 128; 6) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 109. —
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