3 drivers could have won this race. Only one team got it right.
· Austrian Grand Prix
58 alerts across 71 laps
Live alerts fired during the Austrian GP
Verstappen started P5 after a mechanical failure in qualifying wrecked his car. He was past Antonelli by lap 2 and behind Hamilton by lap 3. Antonelli, meanwhile, had gone wide twice on the opening lap and dropped to fifth. He spent the whole race working his way back up. What followed between Verstappen and Hamilton was proper racing for most of the first half. The best moment: lap 11, Verstappen dives at Turn 3, Hamilton squeezes him to the edge at Turn 6. Investigated. Let go. Hard but fair. Verstappen finally got Hamilton for good and set off after Russell.
![[Verstappen vs Hamilton battle alert]](/newsletter/11315/0.jpg)
On lap 25, Sainz's Williams stopped on track and everyone had to slow down while it was cleared. Hamilton used that window to pit. Ferrari were planning three stops, the same thing that worked in Barcelona. He came out on soft tyres, which are the fastest but wear out quickest. On a 52-degree track, they didn't last.
![[Lap 25 VSC alert]](/newsletter/11315/1.jpg)
With about 26 laps left, Russell pitted for fresh hard tyres from the lead. Red Bull tried to keep Verstappen out on a one-stop. His tyres gave up. He got on the radio and told his engineer they were dead. When he finally pitted, he rejoined well behind Russell. He had pitted too late to do anything about it.