A weekend to forget for Max Verstappen and Red Bull: the Austrian GP ends their run of consecutive points finishes.
Four-time World Champion Max Verstappen was aiming for his fifth win at the Red Bull Ring during the Austrian Grand Prix. But his weekend in Spielberg started off poorly, as he could do no better than seventh in qualifying. During the race, he was involved in a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and due to the damage sustained by both cars, neither driver was able to continue.
Lando Norris took victory at the Austrian GP ahead of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. The two McLarens dominated the entire race and gave no chance to their rivals to fight for the win.
The championship battle
Following this setback, Verstappen’s path to the top of the drivers’ standings has become even more difficult. After 11 races and two Sprint events, the Dutch Red Bull driver sits third in the championship with 155 points. Championship leader Oscar Piastri, after finishing second in today’s race, now has 216 points, extending the gap over Max Verstappen to 61 points.
After the race, Max Verstappen was asked whether he still believes in the title after what happened in Austria. The four-time World Champion answered bluntly: “Bah, I think that’s already very far away. I’m absolutely not looking at that anymore.”
Max Verstappen added: “We’re taking it race by race and trying to find more performance in the car. We’re trying to learn from everything we’re doing.”
Based on his post-race comments, the Red Bull driver seems to have given up on the title. Is it a strategic move or the plain truth?
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