Verstappen sweeps the board in Austria to extend championship lead

Max Verstappen continued his relentless march towards the 2023 F1 world championship with victories in the sprint and Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.

Dominating both qualifying sessions to claim pole position for both races, Verstappen had a two-corner squabble with team-mate Sergio Perez before romping in mixed conditions to the sprint race win, further extending his championship advantage.

In Sunday’s Grand Prix, the Dutchman continued his bulletproof form, opening a healthy advantage to Charles Leclerc in second as Perez recovered from a lowly qualifying position again - four straight races the Mexican has missed out on Q3 - to finish third.

With a championship advantage now of 81 points - more than three unanswered victories - to his Red Bull Racing team-mate Verstappen looks on course for a third straight crown.

“It’s been a pretty incredible weekend,” he said afterwards. “It couldn’t have been any better to be honest. We did everything well as a team, from the strategy through to the pit stops.

“Heading into the race we all had question marks around the tyres but we were all happy with how they performed compared to our competitors.

“I felt really comfortable in the car all weekend and we were able to do everything that we had planned.”

For Perez, while his recovery drive on Sunday got him onto the podium, it was yet another case of an opportunity missed for the Mexican.

He said: “It was a really good race. I think we had the pace this weekend: we showed it in the Sprint and we showed it today. It was a nice comeback and I feel really comfortable with the car, it has been really special. I think we were all racing quite hard and it is always a pleasure to battle with drivers.

“We have had a tricky few races, so it has been nice to get back and have that pace and form. I am still not one hundred per cent physically, however, so now I need to look ahead and recover ahead in time for Silverstone.”