Today's Austrian Grand Prix had a good amount of close racing and overtaking. Red Bull's Max Verstappen started on pole after winning yesterday's sprint race (the second of three this year). He also led the first few laps, but Ferrari's Charles Leclerc had better race pace with a car that seemed to be easier on its tires, and he soon overtook Max. With different tire strategies, it would be the first of three times that Charles had to overtake Max. Mercedes' George Russell collided with Red Bull's Sergio Perez on the opening lap, which led to a 5-second penalty for George and ultimately retirement for Sergio. Ferrari looked like scoring a 1-2 finish until Carlos Sainz's engine blew as he was trying to overtake Max. His car then caught fire as he was trying to park it safely off the track, which resulted in a virtual safety car.
In the end, Charles Leclerc won his first race since the Australian Grand Prix in April, and also his first from a position other than pole. Max Verstappen limited the damage by finishing second and getting a point for fastest lap. Mercedes picked up good points with Lewis Hamilton finishing third and George Russell fourth. It was a particularly good result as both drivers had crashed in qualifying and had to have their cars rebuilt over night. Despite Mercedes' relative lack of pace, this was Lewis' third podium in a row. After scoring his first F1 points at Silverstone last week, Haas' Mick Schumacher picked up more points by finishing sixth. Several drivers received 5-second penalties for exceeding track limits - more than any other race I remember.
You can see the race highlights here.
We now have a 2-week break before the French Grand Prix.