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Verstappen wins in Austria to increase championship lead

Davis VanOpdorp
June 27, 2021

The Red Bull driver won his third race in four to move further ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the standings. Hamilton admitted that Mercedes needs to make adjustments in order to catch Red Bull this season.

https://p.dw.com/p/3vdb1
Max Verstappen celebrates his win at the Styrian GP
Max Verstappen celebrates his win at the Styrian GPImage: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

If anyone is to finally dethrone Lewis Hamilton as Formula One champion, Max Verstappen has made a strong case for it to be him about a third of the way through the season.

On Sunday, the Dutch driver took the Styrian Grand Prix, the first of two straight races at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria — his third win in four.

"The care was on fire today," Max Verstappen told his team over the radio after the win. "Another win at home. It feels really good."

Hamitlon admitted after qualifying Saturday that his Mercedes car was about a quarter of a second behind Verstappen's. The Briton therefore didn't have much of a chance, finishing 35 seconds behind the Red Bull driver.

"We need an upgrade of some sort," Hamilton said afterward. "We are not sure if its the rear wing or the engine, but we need to find some performance from somewhere."

Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas (from left to right)
Hamilton, Verstappen and Bottas (from left to right) made up the podium in SpielbergImage: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

Styrian GP Podium

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
  2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
  3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

Drive of the day

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): Starting seventh on the grid, Leclerc was forced to pit early after taking damage in a collision with Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly. But the Monagasque driver clawed his way back up to seventh, stopping just once after the early pit stop. He now sits in sixth place in the drivers' standings with 58 points.

Quote of the day

George Russell (Williams): "No need to apologize. We're in this together. We go again next week — we'll get those points next week," Russell told his team after retiring due to mechanical issues despite a strong race.

Current drivers' standings after Styrian GP

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — 156
  2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) — 138
  3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) — 96
  4. Lando Norris (McLaren) — 86
  5. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) — 74