Red Bull's Max Verstappen maintained his 100% record in season sprint races after holding off a McLaren challenge at the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday.
Verstappen won from sprint pole and was able to counter a passing move from Lando Norris in lap five by retaking the lead in the next turn and never looking back again to win from the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Norris.
"It was spicy but a good result," Verstappen said via team radio.
Triple world champion Verstappen has also won the first two season sprints in China and Miami. There are six sprint races overall this season.
The initial start was aborted, reportedly over safety concerns around the positioning of photographers at turn one, which reduced the sprint to 23 laps due to another formation lap.
Verstappen then had a superb start while Norris had to defend himself against Piastri, and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz got past George Russell of Mercedes into fourth.
Norris stormed into the lead in lap five but Verstappen countered immediately on the inside at the next turn, and Piastri used the moment to sneak past Norris as well from the outside a few seconds later.
Verstappen coasted home while Russell reclaimed fourth from Sainz, with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes sixth ahead of Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari.
