Max Verstappen wins Austrian GP for Red Bull

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Max Verstappen claimed his first win of the season as he kept his Red Bull perfectly on the home track to win the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

This was also the fourth victory for the 21-year-old Dutchman, who was often criticized for taking on his races in an aggressive style. He had a difficult start of the season with significant errors in all the first six races, but since the Canadian Grand Prix he began to drive beautifully with the mastered control and precision during his races.

This time, defending champion Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes was the fastest in front from the start but lost his lead following tactical issues. As a result, Hamilton fell one point behind Vettel again after the ninth of 21 laps.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing during the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring, July 1, 2018, in Spielberg, Austria. /VCG Photo

Having started from sixth after a grid penalty, Verstappen took advantage of Mercedes' misfortunes with an aggressive first lap. He then ran into the same blistering problem that had afflicted Hamilton – visibly deteriorating tires.

Verstappen managed to measure his pace and stayed ahead of Ferrari pair Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel to the end.

"At the end the tire management was the most important," said Verstappen, adding that "it was very special" to win in front of so many supporters. "The whole weekend, it was amazing to see so much orange. This is Austria. It is still 10, 11 hours away from Holland."

The winner Max Verstappen celebrates with his team after he won the race at Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring, July 1, 2018, in Spielberg, Austria. /VCG Photo‍

"Sometimes you have difficult moments and then you try to work hard and you keep working hard and you overcome the situation. It's as simple as that."

"My fourth victory," he added. "I think it's a good one, very unexpected. I think they are always good."

The Austrian GP victory helped Verstappen achieve fifth in the standings with 93 points. Marching into the British GP at Silverstone next week, Vettel now leads with 146, followed by Hamilton and Raikkonen.

"I needed to catch up with the points so today was a very good day for me," Verstappen said.