The script for a dominant Max Verstappen victory at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix was dramatically ripped apart in the closing stages of the race.
Starting from pole position, the Dutchman had seemingly controlled the race from the front, building a comfortable lead over the chasing pack on his way to securing his 62nd career win and a record-extending sixth at the Red Bull Ring.
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However, a slow pit stop for him saw Lando Norris in the McLaren start chipping away at the gap, setting up a thrilling fight for the win in the final few laps.
But the battle then took a dramatic turn when the two championship leaders collided at Turn 3 with just seven laps remaining. The contact sent Norris and his damaged MCL38 out of the race, and his hopes for a second career victory were dashed.
Verstappen limped back with a puncture and was slapped with a 10-second time penalty as well as two penalty points on his FIA Super Licence for causing the collision - eventually finishing fifth.
This on-track chaos left the door wide open for the chasing pack. Mercedes' George Russell, who had been holding onto third place, suddenly found himself in the lead.
Despite a late charge from Oscar Piastri who started the race in a lowly seventh, the Brit held his nerve and delivered a mature drive to cross the line in first. This victory marked his second career win and the first for the Silver Arrows since Russell's triumph at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Rounding out the podium behind Russell and Piastri was Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who finished a strong third ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen.
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2024 Austrian Grand Prix - Final classification
1. George Russell [Mercedes]: 1:24:22.798sec
2. Oscar Piastri [McLaren]: +1.906sec
3. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari]: +4.533sec
4. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes]: +23.142sec
5. Max Verstappen [Red Bull]*: +37.253sec
6. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas]: +54.088sec
7. Sergio Perez [Red Bull]: +54.672sec
8. Kevin Magnussen [Haas]: +1:00:355sec
9. Daniel Ricciardo [VCARB]: +1:01.690sec
10. Pierre Gasly [Alpine]: +1:01.766sec
11. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari]: +1:07.056sec
12. Esteban Ocon [Alpine]: +1:08.325sec
13. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin]: +1 LAP
14. Alex Albon [Williams]*: +1 LAP
15. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB]: +1 LAP
16. Valtteri Bottas [Kick Sauber]: +1 LAP
17. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin]: +1 LAP
18. Zhou Guanyu [Kick Sauber]: +1 LAP
19. Logan Sargeant [Williams]: +2 LAPS
20. Lando Norris [McLaren]*: +7 LAPS
Fastest Lap: Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - 1:07.694sec
Note: Max Verstappen was hit with a 10-second penalty for causing a collision. Lando Norris picked up a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits on multiple occasions, while Alexander Albon received a five-second penalty for a pit-lane violation.
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