Max Verstappen dominated from start to finish to lead every lap from pole position and win the sprint race, just as he had done at Imola this year and in the first sprint race in history at Silverstone 2021 .
The Dutchman added 8 points and increases his advantage a little more at the head of the world championship. Behind him, in the same positions as they started, the Ferraris finished, with Leclerc second ahead of a combative Sainz despite the fact that, in up to two moments, the man from Madrid overtook his teammate. Was it a notice for Sunday?
Without much action, George Russell finished fourth, as he started, and Sergio Pérez made a great comeback in the short race to finish fifth. The Mexican was going to start 13th, but he won a place when the drama visited Alonso ‘s Alpine, who left without even being able to start the car. The Spaniard will start 19th on Sunday, just ahead of the suspended Valtteri Bottas.
Esteban Ocon saved the furniture for the French team, sixth, and the Haas were the protagonists of a nice battle against a Lewis Hamilton who had lost ground at the start, and who then had to sweat to pass Mick Schumacher, but not Kevin Magnussen .
The Briton, eighth, closed the points of a race that lasted 23 laps and not 24 after a problem with Guanyu Zhou also before the start, which forced an extra formation lap and the Chinese to start from the pitlane.
2022 F1 sprint race results at the Austrian GP
(Click on ‘See results’ to enjoy the entire table and positions)
| Cla | Pilot | laps | Weather | Difference | Interval | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max Verstappen |
 |
23 | 26’30.059 | ||
| 2 |  Charles Leclerc |
 |
23 | 26’31.734 | 1.675 | 1.675 |
| 3 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. |
|
23 | 26’35,703 | 5,644 | 3,969 |
| 4 |  George Russell |
 |
23 | 26’43.488 | 13.429 | 7.785 |
| 5 |  Sergio Perez |
|
23 | 26’48.361 | 18,302 | 4,873 |
| 6 |  Esteban Ocon |
 |
23 | 27’01.091 | 31.032 | 12.730 |
| 7 |  Kevin Magnussen |
 |
23 | 27’04.598 | 34.539 | 3.507 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton |
|
23 | 27’05.506 | 35.447 | 0.908 |
| 9 |  Mick Schumacher |
|
23 | 27’07.222 | 37.163 | 1.716 |
| 10 |  Valtteri Bottas |
 |
23 | 27’07.616 | 37.557 | 0.394 |
| see results | ||||||
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Summary of the 2022 F1 sprint race in Austria
The sprint start to the race was a push, as Alpine had left the blankets on the tires of Fernando Alonso’s car, which was in trouble. The Asturian could not make the formation lap, and although they put him in the pitlane to try to start from there, he left without having been able to do anything. However, when the race was about to start, Guanyu Zhou got stuck in the last corner and the race did not start there either.
The peloton did an extra formation lap (cutting one lap from the ones that should have been given) and the Alfa Romeo had to do it and get into the pitlane, to start from there.
At the start, Charles Leclerc attacked Verstappen, which left the door open for Carlos Sainz, who started on the clean side, to steal second place from his teammate on the first stop. However, the man from Madrid was not satisfied and went for the world champion, who defended well at turn 3. And Leclerc, who stayed close to them, slipped through the inside of Sainz at turn 4 to recover the second place.
On the main straight, at the start, Hamilton had touched Pierre Gasly, who spun and fell to last place, while Pérez was already eighth at the end of the first lap.
The Mexican failed to advance further in the early stages, and on lap 6 Sainz was very close to Leclerc, so on lap 7 he tried to steal second place from him. The #55 managed to sneak around the inside at turn 3, but over-braked and Leclerc remained in second place. Meters later, in lane 4, Sainz tried again from the outside, without success.
On lap 9, Pérez threw everything into the corner to overtake Mick Schumacher, who was very respectful and avoided the touch. One lap later, Pérez would account for the other Haas, that of Kevin Magnussen.
Sebastian Vettel was hit by Alexander Albon at Turn 6 on Lap 11. The Thai had already taken a penalty for driving Lando Norris off the track at the start, and was once again in the eye of the storm. Pérez caught up with Ocon at turn 3 on lap 12, and the Frenchman tried to hook onto him to escape from the Haas, who were defending themselves from Lewis Hamilton.
That was the end of Pérez’s comeback, who was no longer able to beat George Russell and had to settle for fifth place after starting 12th.
The biggest action in the second part of the sprint race was that of Hamilton trying to account for the Haas, facing a feisty Mick Schumacher who managed to resist even two laps from the end, but who finally left empty.
