2022 Austrian GP Sprint Race: Full Report & Highlights

Max Verstappen delivered another commanding performance at the Red Bull Ring, winning the Austrian Sprint ahead of Ferrari rivals Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to secure pole position for Sunday’s Grand Prix. The reigning world champion converted his Friday qualifying advantage into an unchallenged Sprint victory, despite pressure in the early laps from two hard-charging Ferraris who spent much of the 23-lap dash fighting each other as much as the Red Bull ahead.

Qualifying the previous evening had seen Verstappen storm to pole in a session marked by dramatic Q3 crashes for both Mercedes drivers, while Sergio Pérez had his Q2 times deleted and fell to P13 on the Sprint grid. With the expanded 2022 points system awarding rewards down to P8, every lap promised action—yet chaos arrived even before the field reached Turn 1. Fernando Alonso’s Alpine failed to fire on the grid, retiring before the Sprint even began, while Zhou Guanyu stalled approaching the grid, forcing a second formation lap, reducing the Sprint to 23 laps, and sending the Alfa Romeo into the pits for a delayed start.

Once the haze of orange smoke cleared and the race finally began, the top 10 starters—all on mediums—got away cleanly. Verstappen launched perfectly from pole, shutting the door on Leclerc’s attempt down the right-hand side. That squeeze allowed Sainz a momentary advantage as he snatched P2, only for Leclerc to reclaim the place a few corners later as the Ferraris began their first internal battle of the Sprint.

Their duel intensified on Lap 6, with Sainz twice attacking Leclerc into Turns 2 and 3. The Monegasque resisted firmly, and on the following lap his defence tightened enough for Sainz to drop back, allowing Leclerc to rebuild a gap. While the Ferraris fought among themselves, Verstappen stretched his lead beyond two seconds and controlled the pace from the front with characteristic precision.

By the closing laps, Leclerc chipped into the margin slightly, but never enough to threaten the Red Bull. Verstappen crossed the line 1.675s ahead to take eight points and secure P1 on the grid for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

George Russell secured P4 for Mercedes, running a lonely race after a clean launch. Behind him, Pérez executed one of the strongest recovery drives of the Sprint. Starting P13, he gained five places in the first six laps, overtook both Haas drivers by Lap 10, and dispatched Esteban Ocon on Lap 12 to climb to fifth—although Russell remained out of reach.

The Haas duo played a central role in the midfield fight, successfully frustrating Lewis Hamilton for more than half the Sprint. Hamilton had been squeezed at Turn 1 at the start and tagged Pierre Gasly—which dropped the AlphaTauri to P15—before working his way back into contention. For most of the race he shadowed Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen in a tight three-car train, only finding a way through on Lap 22 with a committed move on Schumacher at Turn 4.

Magnussen, meanwhile, held on to seventh, finishing ahead of the Mercedes. Valtteri Bottas had initially lost out to Hamilton but benefitted when the Haas defence slowed the Silver Arrows’ progress, catching back up to finish 10th for Alfa Romeo behind Schumacher.

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo edged closer to the top 10, Norris finishing ahead of his teammate despite an early wide moment while trying to pass Alex Albon. Albon was penalised five seconds for forcing Norris off track on Lap 4, demoting the Williams driver from P13 to P16 at the flag, lifting Lance Stroll to P13 and Zhou to P14.

Gasly, despite his early delay, finished ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, who struggled throughout a difficult Sprint for AlphaTauri. Sebastian Vettel became the second retiree after Albon tagged him into a spin at Turn 6, damaging the Aston Martin and forcing a late withdrawal.

With his Sprint victory, Verstappen secures pole position for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, where he will aim to complete a dominant weekend in front of the roaring, orange-clad crowd at the Red Bull Ring.

2022 Austrian GP Sprint Race Results

2022 Austrian Grand Prix Sprint Race, 9 July 2022