Mayra Madrigal
The Austrian GP was a race with many surprises, not only because of the resulting podium, but also because of the accidents and retirements.
This race was the 11th race of the 2022 season of Formula 1 and as expected it was quite competitive. Red Bull was hoping to make it 1-2 at its home circuit, but in the end only one of its drivers managed to get on the podium, but did not get the victory, as it was taken by Ferrari.
Other drivers surprised with their performances and there were also moments of anguish and suspense due to accidents on the track. Here’s a look at the highlights of the Austrian GP 2022.
Charles Leclerc’s Triumph
Charles Leclerc once again scored a victory, his third of the season, which helped him move up to second place in the Drivers’ Championship with 170 points and put pressure back on Dutchman Max Verstappen.
The Monegasque driver’s win is a positive for Ferrari, as they have had a pair of back-to-back victories, the GP of Great Britain and the Austrian GP. The podium was completed by Red Bull’s Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Third Consecutive Podium Finish for Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton had a poor start to the season, but that seems to be in the past. He has shown significant improvement and the car’s problems are no longer so constant, which has allowed him to perform better on the track.
The Briton scored his third consecutive podium finish at the Austrian GP, his fourth of the season. Maybe he’s not so happy because his four podium appearances this 2022 have all been in third place, but at least he’s scoring points and helping the team stay in the top three teams.
Checo Pérez’s Abandonment
Luck was not on the side of Mexican driver, Checo Pérez, this weekend at the Austrian GP. Since Friday he had problems and was penalized for having passed the limits in turn 8. The penalty consisted in losing positions for the start of the Sprint race, and after having registered times to start from fourth place, he ended up starting in the #13 position.
Already in Sunday’s race, he had a touch with Russell and ended up going into the gravel in the first turn. He went into the pits to check the car and when he came out he found himself in the last position, from which he could not recover and after the loss of rhythm he was forced to abandon the race on lap 26.
Carlos Sainz’s Abandonment
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz also had to retire from the Austrian GP after experiencing one of the most harrowing moments of the weekend.
The Spanish driver was racing for the podium and on lap 57 had a failure in his car that ruined everything he had done during the race. An engine failure caused the Ferrari to catch fire. Sainz had trouble getting out of the car quickly, but fortunately he was helped and escaped unhurt.
Mick Schumacher’s Great Performance
The time has come for Mick Schumacher to prove that he not only carries the blood and surname of one of Formula 1’s legends, but that he also has the qualities to write his own history in the top class of motor racing.
For the second consecutive race, the Haas driver managed to get into the points positions at the Austrian GP, but not only that, he achieved his best result of the 2022 season, finishing sixth. He now has a total of 12 points and occupies the #15 position in the Drivers’ Championship.
