After a tough weekend at British Grand Prix, Formula One moved to Red Bull's home turf i.e. Austrian Grand Prix. The last weekend was unique and unprecedented on many accounts as it was marred with a horrific multi-car crash, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz registering his maiden race win in F1 and more.
The fate of several drivers was affected by an astonishing car crash at Turn 1 during Lap 1, which led to Alfa Romeo rookie Zhou Guanyu being pushed to fences after sliding for several meters on the Halo. After stewards asked the drivers to start the race from their original position, Verstappen who was leading the race dropped down the grid due to damage on his Red Bull's floor. Sergio Perez and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton fought hard for the lead but Ferrari's driver Carlos Sainz surprised everyone by eventually outdriving everyone.
He overtook his teammate Charles in the final lap of the race and went on to earn his maiden win in F1. Despite starting from the back of the grid, Sergio Perez displayed an incredible drive and finished P2. Interestingly, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton too did a phenomenal job as he clinched a P3 finish at his home venue.
The reigning champion Max Verstappen firmly holds a commanding position at the top of the 2022 Driver's championship despite a tough British GP. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez is 34 points behind and Charles Leclerc a further nine-point. However, Carlos Sainz moved into fourth place by winning his maiden P1 finish. Here are the current Driver's standings ahead of the Austrian GP.
Rank | Driver | Team | Points |
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 181 |
2 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 147 |
3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 138 |
4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 127 |
5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 111 |
6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 93 |
7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 58 |
8 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 46 |
9 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 39 |
10 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 28 |
11 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 16 |
12 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 16 |
13 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 15 |
14 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 15 |
15 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 11 |
16 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 5 |
17 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 4 |
18 | Alex Albon | Williams | 3 |
19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 3 |
20 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 0 |