For the first time in his career, Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen dominated the Styrian Grand Prix on Sunday, winning back-to-back races. With a clean start from pole, the Red Bull driver denied Lewis Hamilton an early onslaught and went on to win the race by more than 35 seconds over his Mercedes adversary.
Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton’s teammate finished third ahead of Sergio Perez as Red Bull and Mercedes dominated the top four positions once more.
Verstappen won for the 14th time in his career and the fourth time of the season extending his advantage over the seven-time world champion to 18 points after eight races. A victory in a race is worth 25 points.
Red Bull extended its winning streak to four races in the Austrian Alps as Hamilton’s quest for his 99th career triumph neared the seven-week mark. Hamilton’s last four-race winless streak occurred more than three years ago spanning the final three races of 2017 and the first three races of the following season.
With a sluggish pit stop for Perez that lasted nearly five seconds owing to a problem with the left-rear tyre, Red Bull lost a potential 1-3 finish. The Austrian Grand Prix will be held on the same track next Sunday.