Verstappen pips Leclerc to victory after dramatic battle at the Austrian Grand Prix

Back in 2019, the Formula 1 landscape looked very different. Mercedes was in complete control, having won the first eight Grands Prix of the season. Two races were won by Finn Valtteri Bottas and six by Lewis Hamilton. The rest of the field played a supporting role, with only Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel managing to snatch a pole position each.

Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton topped the championship standings with 187 points, followed by teammate Valtteri Bottas on 151. Max Verstappen sat fourth in the standings with 100 points, sandwiched between the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel.

On Saturday at the Red Bull Ring, Charles Leclerc claimed his second pole of the season, edging out Lewis Hamilton. However, Hamilton was handed a grid penalty for impeding Kimi Räikkönen, dropping him to fourth. As a result, Max Verstappen was promoted to second, setting up a strong front-row start.

Sunday got off to a dramatic start for the young Dutchman. Despite starting from second on the grid, he struggled off the line and was quickly swamped by several cars. By the end of the opening lap, Verstappen had dropped to seventh, and any hopes of victory appeared to be slipping away.

Throughout the race, he steadily fought his way forward. By lap 50, he had overtaken Sebastian Vettel for third place, hinting that more was within reach. Just six laps later, Verstappen passed Valtteri Bottas and set his sights on chasing down Charles Leclerc

On lap 68 of 71, Verstappen caught up to Leclerc and made his first attempt to overtake. He tried the inside line at turn three but was forced to yield back the position to the Monegasque on the following corner.

One lap later, Verstappen made another move on the inside of Leclerc, this time leaving the Monegasque little room and forcing him off the track. The manoeuvre sparked wild celebrations among the orange-clad fans, but Leclerc was visibly furious over the team radio. The stewards reviewed the incident but ultimately decided not to penalise Verstappen.

The Dutchman won the race from Charles Leclerc, with Valtteri Bottas rounding off the podium in third place.