Race Changing Moments - Austrian Grand Prix 2023

Two double podiums and points galore. Let’s reminisce over what made the Sprint weekend in Spielberg one to remember.

The

Bulls

returned

home

for

the

2023

Austrian

Grand

Prix

deliver

action-packed

spectacle

the

Styrian

mountains.

Here’s

how

they

got

on…

Re-live the action

Firm But Fair Fighting

Both Bulls put on a great show for the Spielberg crowds in the Sprint as they battled for the position straight off the line. Things got almost too close for comfort at times, but both drivers kept their cool and kept the battle clean.

After the race, Max said: “it could have been spicy between Checo and I but he said that he couldn’t see me, and I trust his word. We’re all good, we had a chat after the race and all is cleared up, there’s no need to make a big deal about it.” Checo was quick to echo Max’s statement by adding. “At the beginning, Max and I got a bit closer than we should have, there was a bit of misjudgement from both sides, but we have spoken about it and it is all good.”

Keeping Out Of Trouble

Max Eating Up Seconds – Part One

The Red Bull Ring has a lap-length of just 4.318km, giving the Sprint Race a distance of just over 103km, not long at all, but Max was so strong that after his tricky start he pulled away and created a gap of more than 21s to second place. An impressive drive especially as he had to manage his medium tyres for the entire race.

First Sprint Win Of The Season For Max

Max Eating Up Seconds – Part Two

If we thought Max’s ability to chew away at seconds on the stopwatch was impressive in the sprint race we were in for a real treat in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Max came out of the pits on hard tyres on lap 25 in P3. He was behind both Ferraris and a lap later he was in front of Carlos Sainz and six seconds behind Charles Leclerc. Within nine laps Max took the lead again and there was no looking back.

By the time Max came around to start lap 70 of 71 he had built up a big enough gap for a free pitstop, so he dived in for a set of soft tyres, headed back out on track and on the final rotation took the fastest lap of the race.

Keeping It Within Track Limits

Checo Doesn’t Need To Worry About Quali

On Friday Checo’s Q2 did not go to plan with all three of his push laps were deleted due track limits infringements. He had to settle for P15 on the grid for his race start. Although he proved his mettle in the sprint race by starting and finishing in P2, he had plenty of work to do in the Grand Prix if he wanted to collected any points.

But we needn’t have worried. By lap 26 he was in the points. It was clear he had learned his lesson in qualifying about the track limits.

The FIA handed out 12 penalties in the race. Seven drivers were penalised and there was a total of 83 laps deleted for infringements. Checo took full advantage and while Carlos Sainz was fulfilling his penalty in the pitlane, Checo swept by into P3 and claimed his fifth podium of the season.

Down The Inside

Strategy Gods

When Max went into the pits on lap 25, it was such a shock to the commentators that Max wasn’t leading the race they suggested that the Team had got it wrong. However, a few laps later and it was clear that our strategy team had done it again and made it look easy, not only with Max winning but helping Checo to his 5th podium of the season.

Quick Pit Stop

Another Hat Trick – Or Is It Something Else?

With Max winning the race, qualifying on pole and taking the fastest lap he claimed the seventh hat-trick of his career, but as a bonus you can throw in winning the sprint shootout and the sprint race. So it’s clearly an achievement that needs a new name, we don’t know what it is yet, but when we do – we’ll let you know.

Congratulations From Lando

It’s Good To See The Orange Army In Full Voice

After racing on three continents this season so far, the Austrian Grand Prix represented the first race of the year where Max’s loyal legion of fans would be in the grandstands, and as always, they didn’t disappoint. The Red Bull Ring was full to capacity and it was a sea of orange everywhere. And, as is becoming a regular occurrence, they left happy with Max taking the win!

Support For Max As Always