Max Verstappen dominated from start to finish at the 2021 Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix to claim his fourth victory of the season and extend his 2021 title lead over Lewis Hamilton.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=46]The Dutchman got ahead of the Mercedes driver off the start line and pulled away over the 71 laps to win at Red Bull Racing Honda’s home circuit with Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez finishing fourth.
Max Verstappen
I am super happy to win here and doing it at home at the Red Bull Ring is always so special. I had a really enjoyable race, the car was working well and I always enjoy driving on this track. I just focused on my own race, concentrating on hitting the apexes in the places I wanted to, looking after the tyres and it worked out well. You never know how competitive or how close it’s going to be on a Sunday and to be honest I really wasn’t expecting it to be like it was today as the long-run pace between the two teams was very closely matched all weekend.
Overall, we’ve had a really positive weekend and of course, it’s not going to be completely the same next week. Everyone else will also learn from this race so we will of course try and do even better and keep improving ourselves so we can stay ahead. It’s a whole Team effort so thank you very much to everyone here and back at the factory for another great win today
Sergio Perez
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out today and it’s a shame to miss out on the double podium. We just needed one more lap and we could have done it, that’s all it would have taken. I think the soft tyre was slightly worse than expected in this race and that hurt us towards the end of the first stint, we also had a slow stop that impacted the race as we gave the position to Bottas.
The Team tried something different with the two-stop strategy but we got caught out by traffic, but that’s how it is sometimes and we had to try something. I’m really happy for the Team today though because Max won, he did a great job and I know we have a strong package. I look forward to next weekend where we will try again to step up on the podium together.
Christian Horner – Team Principal
It’s been a great day and to win at our home track, secure four back-to-back wins and the 10th victory with Honda is a real achievement. It was a clinical drive from Max who managed the race out front so well. I believe it has been our strongest race of the season so far and for the first time this year, Max managed to open out a bit of a gap to Lewis and put some fresh air between them. It was a real shame for Checo as he deserved a podium today but losing a small amount of time in the pit stop, unfortunately, put him out just behind Bottas.
We pulled the trigger on a two-stop and Checo did a great job to hunt Valtteri down in the closing stages but needed just one more lap to finish the job. The motivation is sky-high in Milton Keynes and the Team is performing at an incredible level, particularly given the difficulties everyone has faced during the pandemic. We are now seeing the culmination of that hard work on the chassis and power unit side and the great harmony we have within the Team and our driver pairing
Red Bull Racing Honda best pictures:
- SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JUNE 25: Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner looks on from the pit wall during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Styria at Red Bull Ring on June 25, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
- SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JUNE 26: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Red Bull Racing prepares to drive during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Styria at Red Bull Ring on June 26, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
- SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JUNE 27: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda leads the field into turn one at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Styria at Red Bull Ring on June 27, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
- SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JUNE 27: The race winners trophies and sparkling wine of Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing are pictured in the garage after the F1 Grand Prix of Styria at Red Bull Ring on June 27, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
- SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JUNE 27: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and The Netherlands and Sergio Perez of Mexico and Red Bull Racing celebrate victory with the team during the F1 Grand Prix of Styria at Red Bull Ring on June 27, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
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