Stewards investigated Verstappen's late pass on Leclerc after Red Bull and Ferrari cars bang wheels; Hamilton only fifth as Mercedes' unbeaten start to 2019 ends amid dramatic race
Sunday 30 June 2019 21:13, UK
Max Verstappen claimed an amazing victory in the Austrian GP after a late overtake on Charles Leclerc in an epic, topsy-turvy race at the Red Bull Ring.
Verstappen's pass on the Ferrari was placed under investigation by stewards after the two cars made contact at Turn Three with two laps to go, but no further action was taken.
The Dutchman had already raced back from a terrible start, which dropped him from second to seventh, with passes on Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas to hunt down Leclerc's Ferrari.
"It's hard racing, otherwise we have to stay at home. If those things are not allowed in racing, then what's the point of being in Formula 1," said Verstappen as he celebrated first win of 2019 and second in a row at Red Bull's home race.
Second-placed Leclerc, however, took a different view after losing a lead he had effectively held all race.
"I'll let the stewards decide, but for me in the car it was pretty clear. I don't know how it looked on the outside, but we will see," said Leclerc before stewards cleared Verstappen.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was only fifth after a troubled race in which he sustained front-wing damage and struggled with car and tyre temperatures amid sweltering temperatures.
The world champion was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages to compound by far his worst result of the season.
Valtteri Bottas took third in the second Mercedes, but the world champions' 100 per cent winning sequence in 2019 is now firmly over. Bottas cuts Hamilton's title lead to 31 points heading into the British GP in two weeks' time.
Austrian GP result: Top 10
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
4. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
5. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
6. Lando Norris, McLaren
7. Pierre Gasly, Red Bull
8. Carlos Sainz, McLaren
9. Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo
10. Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo
Sensational Verstappen surges as win stands
Max Verstappen has delivered some memorable and swashbuckling performances in his first five years of F1, but what unfolded in Austria on Sunday was perhaps the best yet.
Supported by 50,000 orange-clad Dutch fans amid the packed Austrian grandstands, Verstappen's victory hopes appeared to evaporate in the race's early seconds when a poor start from the front row dropped him into the pack and seventh place.
But, underlining the increased maturity and racing patience the 21-year-old has displayed over the past year, Verstappen did not let that faze him and steadily pieced his afternoon back together.
After picking off the midfield runners he had fallen behind, he moved ahead of Hamilton when the Mercedes driver was delayed at his pit stop when Mercedes had to replace the world champion's front wing for apparent kerb damage.
What followed from there was increasingly stunning - and spectacular.
On fresher tyres, Verstappen caught Vettel at a rate of knots - passing the first Ferrari approaching Turn Four on lap 50 - before setting after Bottas, who he then overtook in a similar move six laps later.
"The car really came alive after the stop, Verstappen told Sky F1. "Amazing."
Not content with that, Verstappen then hunted down Leclerc, who had appeared on course for a relatively serene victory, holding a consistent advantage of around 4s over Bottas for most of the race.
Verstappen stalked the Ferrari for several laps, before launching his move on the uphill run down the inside of Turn Three. The Red Bull took the inside line, but as he came round to exit the corner, Leclerc was still on the outside and the two cars touched wheels.
"I never opened the steering wheel," insisted Verstappen. "I am in front and he had to just cut back on me. But he tried to go around the outside, it's not possible."
Stewards held a post-race enquiry but, three hours after Verstappen had taken the chequered flag, the Dutchman's hard-eanred victory was rubber-stamped.
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