November 8, 2024

Austrian GP: F1 – live updates!

Kimi #Kimi

11.11am EDT 11:11

That’s all from me; I’ll leave you with Giles Richards’ race report. Mercedes now have 10 days or so to regroup before heading to Silverstone in two weeks’ time. For the moment, Max Verstappen and Red Bull are clear. Thanks for joining me. Bye!

10.46am EDT 10:46

Here’s how the drivers’ standings look after Verstappen’s win. He picked up a point for the fastest lap and completed the “grand prix slam” for the first time – pole position, fastest lap and leading the race from start to finish.

  • Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 182pts
  • Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 150
  • Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) 104
  • Lando Norris (McLaren) 101
  • Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 92
  • Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 62
  • Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 60
  • Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 40
  • Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) 39
  • Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 30
  • 10.39am EDT 10:39

    Bottas, who came home in second, says Mercedes are taking away “some decent points, considering the gap to Red Bull on pure pace.” I wonder if Hamilton, who came fourth, would be quite so diplomatic.

    10.37am EDT 10:37

    And here’s Lando Norris, who gets a big roar from the crowd. “We should have been in second place – Pérez ran off the track himself, I didn’t take him out, so I’m frustrated. As soon as I got close to Bottas [in second], I started struggling a bit too much – but we’re racing with the Mercedes and Red Bulls, which is great.”

    Lando Norris celebrates with his team after finishing in third. Photograph: Christian Bruna/Reuters

    Updated at 10.38am EDT

    10.34am EDT 10:34

    Max Verstappen speaks! “It was really enjoyable to drive today. I’m a bit amazed myself how it went today. It’s not always easy to deliver when you’re the favourite. These two weeks have been incredible.”

    10.31am EDT 10:31

    Vettel and Raikkonen collide! A bit of late drama as Vettel tries to sneak past Raikkonen on the final lap. The cars collided and span off the track, leading to a late yellow flag.

    10.29am EDT 10:29

    Verstappen takes the chequered flag after a dominant win. “Even better than last week!” he tells the Red Bull radio. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas is second, with McLaren’s Lando Norris third after another impressive drive. Lewis Hamilton is fourth, holding off Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez, who still has a 10-second penalty to serve.

    Max Verstappen crosses the line to win the race and extend his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

    Updated at 10.31am EDT

    10.27am EDT 10:27

    Final lap: As Max Verstappen cruises for home, Norris looks like he’ll settle for third behind Bottas. Sainz gets past Ricciardo and into sixth at the last.

    10.25am EDT 10:25

    Lap 70 of 71: Hamilton is advised to try and hold off Pérez, four seconds back in fifth. “I’m trying, man” is his response. Kimi Raikkonen is going after Russell now, with Sainz on Ricciardo’s tail as we hit the final lap.

    Updated at 10.26am EDT

    10.24am EDT 10:24

    Lap 68 of 71: Alonso has too much in his locker for Russell, using a DRS window to roll past the Williams man at turn four.

    10.23am EDT 10:23

    Lap 67 of 71: Oof, Russell is being made to work hard for this solitary point. The only points he has won in F1 came when he filled in for a Covid-hit Lewis Hamilton at the Sakhir GP last year.

    10.22am EDT 10:22

    Lap 66 of 71: A moment of slight concern for Verstappen, who has a small cut on his rear right tyre. Red Bull advise him to ease up on the pace with the race won, and the fastest lap in the bag.

    10.20am EDT 10:20

    Lap 65 of 71: The two Ferraris swap places, with Sainz overtaking Leclerc. The Spaniard has the better pace, fresher tyres and will now go after Ricciardo in sixth.

    10.19am EDT 10:19

    Lap 64 of 71: It’s not been a great day for Mercedes; Norris is gaining on Bottas, while Hamilton’s new tyres have not helped him – he’s drifted 23 seconds behind the McLaren in fourth, and still seems to be struggling with damage to his car.

    Updated at 10.33am EDT

    10.18am EDT 10:18

    Lap 63 of 71: Verstappen sets another fastest lap, a shade over 1m 6s, and extends his lead over Bottas to 10 seconds. He’s about to overtake Alonso and Russell, who are battling for 10th. It’s going well.

    10.16am EDT 10:16

    Lap 61 of 71: Can George Russell get his first points with Williams? He’s up to 10th but has the wily old fox, Fernando Alonso, in his mirrors.

    10.15am EDT 10:15

    Lap 60 of 71: Verstappen pits for a second time, mainly to make sure he gets the extra point for a fastest lap. Almost feels like showboating. He emerges seven seconds clear of Bottas, greeted by a roar from the orange wall in the grandstand.

    10.13am EDT 10:13

    Lap 58 of 71: What a move! Ricciardo delivers a pinpoint overtake, swooping in front of Leclerc down the inside and somehow avoiding contact. The Aussie is up to sixth.

    10.11am EDT 10:11

    Lap 57 of 71: Hamilton sets a new fastest lap on his fresh tyres, then sees Verstappen take it back seconds later. It’s been that kind of day.

    10.11am EDT 10:11

    Lap 55 of 71: Hamilton is back out, now some 20 seconds behind Norris, who recovered from that harsh penalty superbly. More time penalties, with Tsunoda docked another five seconds for going over the white line at the pit entry. Twice is careless.

    10.08am EDT 10:08

    Lap 53 of 71: Norris overtakes Hamilton! The McLaren driver ducks, weaves and darts down the inside to push Hamilton out of the podium places! Hamilton is pitting now, having struggled to keep pace on his current set of tyres.

    Lando Norris in the McLaren. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

    Updated at 10.16am EDT

    10.07am EDT 10:07

    Lap 52 of 71: Bottas overtakes Hamilton, who appears to be struggling after sustaining damage a few laps back. Pérez gets another five-second penalty for the latest madcap moment in his race.

    10.06am EDT 10:06

    Lap 51 of 71: This is interesting – Bottas had originally been told not to overtake Hamilton, but with Norris gaining on both Mercedes men, the Finn is now given the green light. Mercedes a long way off their imperious best, here.

    10.04am EDT 10:04

    Lap 50 of 71: Verstappen has a 20-second lead over Hamilton now. Here’s the top 10:

    1 Verstappen 2 Hamilton 3 Bottas 4 Norris 5 Ricciardo 6 Pérez* 7 Leclerc 8 Sainz 9 Tsunoda 10 Gasly

    *Five-second penalty

    Updated at 10.05am EDT

    10.02am EDT 10:02

    Lap 49 of 71: Sainz has pitted at last, and re-emerges in ninth place. Looks like the Ferrari strategy has paid off …

    10.00am EDT 10:00

    Lap 47 of 71: Pérez isn’t letting up and has another charge at Leclerc, forcing him onto the gravel again as he goes past! “£#%!$*#! The guy’s a #$&%*!” is the Ferrari man’s verdict on the team radio.

    9.58am EDT 09:58

    Lap 46 of 71: Bad news for Hamilton, with Verstappen only getting further away and Valtteri Bottas now closing in on his Mercedes teammate. Further back, Gasly holds off Ricciardo but is then called in for his second spot anyway.

    Updated at 9.58am EDT

    9.57am EDT 09:57

    Lap 44 of 71: It’s been an eventful day for Sergio Pérez in his 200th grand prix. Perhaps he’s still angry that his Red Bull team tricked him into wearing lederhosen earlier …

    9.55am EDT 09:55

    Lap 42 of 71: Pérez gets a five-second penalty! Not a clear-cut penalty by any means, but the stewards were left with little choice after punishing Norris for his tussle with Pérez earlier on.

    9.53am EDT 09:53

    Lap 41 of 71: Pérez moves to overtake Leclerc on the same corner where he challenged Norris. Pérez goes inside this time, and Leclerc is forced onto the gravel. It’ll be very interesting to see what the stewards make of that …

    The battle between Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez is heating up. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

    Updated at 10.02am EDT

    9.50am EDT 09:50

    Lap 39 of 71: Pierre Gasly, who pitted early as part of a two-stop strategy, is back up to sixth but under pressure from Ricciardo. Out in front, Verstappen has set a new fastest lap time and is cruising.

    9.49am EDT 09:49

    Lap 38 of 71: Russell is chasing a top-10 finish, getting beyond Lance Stroll on the inside and moving up to 13th. Raikkonen pits, so just Sainz yet to stop.

    9.48am EDT 09:48

    Lap 37 of 71: Hamilton may have some damage here, picked up on the exit kerb at turn 10. It appears to be manageable, for now.

    9.47am EDT 09:47

    Lap 36 of 71: Leclerc pits, but it’s a bit of a wonky effort that allows Pérez to hold him off and consolidate a top-10 position. Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen, also yet to pit, is up to sixth.

    9.46am EDT 09:46

    Lap 35 of 71: Hamilton is dispirited at the size of the time gap to Verstappen – it’s now up to 14 seconds. “He built it up while you were behind Norris,” is the slightly passive-aggressive response.

    9.45am EDT 09:45

    Lap 34 of 71: It’s a less smooth stop for Pérez, some issues with changing the front left tyre. The leading quartet have all switched to hard tyres; the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Sainz are fifth and sixth, but are yet to stop.

    9.43am EDT 09:43

    Lap 33 of 71: Red Bull can’t afford any slip-ups on the pit stop – but it’s absolutely textbook, and Verstappen is back out on track 12 seconds clear of Hamilton.

    Max Verstappen is cruising. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

    Updated at 9.57am EDT

    9.42am EDT 09:42

    Lap 32 of 71: Norris gets out ahead of Charles Leclerc, who is up to fifth ahead of Sergio Pérez. Hamilton also heads to the pits, so Verstappen is called in straight away.

    9.40am EDT 09:40

    Lap 31 of 71: Some big pit moves, with Norris and Bottas coming in together. Norris serves his five-second penalty, and Bottas gets past him in the pit lane!

    9.39am EDT 09:39

    Lap 29 of 71: Norris is still third but would drop to fourth with his penalty as it stands. His teammate, Ricciardo, has a few extra laps in his tyres but is some 20 seconds further back. Perhaps there’s still hope for a podium finish for Lando.

    9.37am EDT 09:37

    Lap 28 of 71: Hamilton has free air in second but he isn’t making any ground on Verstappen – quite the opposite, in fact. The Red Bull man is more than 11 seconds clear.

    Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. Photograph: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

    Updated at 9.42am EDT

    9.36am EDT 09:36

    Lap 26 of 71: “For what?!” is Norris’ response to being given a five-second penalty. The replays show Pérez wasn’t given space out wide, but he didn’t have the racing line and wasn’t close to overtaking. “What was the guy expecting?” Norris adds.

    9.34am EDT 09:34

    Lap 24 of 71: Verstappen has enjoyed a very quiet race out in front, but is about to hit traffic. He goes past back-marker Nikita Mazepin but may pit early to avoid getting too caught up among the stragglers.

    9.33am EDT 09:33

    Lap 23 of 71: Here’s how it stands, with only a handful of riders pitting so far.

    1 Verstappen 2 Hamilton 3 Norris 4 Bottas 5 Ricciardo 6 Leclerc 7 Pérez 8 Sainz 9 Russell 10 Raikkonen

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