Leclerc Back In Business With Victory In Austria

It’s been somewhat of a disappointing time of late for both Charles Leclerc and Ferrari. Leclerc led the way at the top of the driver standings earlier in the season before vehicle failures, and disappointing finishes saw him slip out of the running. But, all that has changed once again, with the Monegasque finding form in Austria.

The man who overtook Leclerc in the race for the title was defending F1 champion Max Verstappen. But, ironically, Leclerc passed him on three occasions in Austria to secure victory. And, in doing so, slashed his rival’s lead at the top of the driver standings to thirty-eight points, with the Ferrari driver now in second place and putting the pressure on the Red Bull star.

Verstappen had to settle for second place in Austria, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton rallied to finish third and add some much-needed points to keep him on the periphery of a title challenge. The story could, and probably should, have been a lot different for Ferrari on the day, who were on course to celebrate a 1-2. But, with fourteen laps to go, Carlos Sainz suffered an engine failure, a problem still hindering Ferrari progress this season.

Leclerc encountered problems of his own, especially at the business end of the race, but he managed to deal with them superbly to ensure he crossed the finish line first and bagged maximum points. There was an issue with the accelerator not zeroing when Leclerc lifted off, which had a knock-on effect where shifting gears was concerned, but while seemingly nervous on the radio when communicating with the Ferrari garage, Leclerc remained composed to pick up his first victory since Melbourne.

You could say it was the pace of the Ferrari’s that won the day, which will have come as a bit of a surprise to some. Especially to Red Bull, who have dominated in Austria for a while. While Verstappen was always in the race, Leclerc’s Ferrari proved time and time again that it would prove to be too fast, as seen by the three fantastic overtakes performed by the Monegasque.

And, if Sainz’s engine hadn’t failed, it would undoubtedly have been a Ferrari 1-2. So, Verstappen, in many respects, was always in line for a podium, but for the final fourteen laps, it was more about keeping hold of second and fending off any challenges from Hamilton. And the Dutchman taking home nineteen points was a good result in the circumstances, as he is still in pole position to defend his F1 crown.

The next stop for Formula 1 is a visit to the Circuit Paul Ricard in France. 2021 saw Verstappen win the race and post the fastest lap, and he will be looking to do the same once again. However, Ferrari have dominated in France before, and Leclerc will be eager to build on his success in Austria while his team continue to attempt to iron out engine failure problems.