Carlos Sainz’s complaints about Sergio Pérez’s behaviour during the Austrian Grand Prix drew derision from Sky Sport’s pundits, who compared it to the legendary battles of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell.
As Sainz found himself engaged in a tight battle with the Mexican driver, he called for the stewards to investigate Pérez for “intimidating” him.
However, Anthony Davidson and Ted Kravitz mocked the interaction, suggesting that such complaints would have been deemed absurd during the fierce duels between Senna and Mansell in the past.
Ferrari made a valiant effort to prevent Red Bull from dominating the race at their own track. Charles Leclerc launched a spirited first-lap attempt to overtake Max Verstappen, but the reigning champion gradually pulled away.
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The two teams adopted different strategies when a virtual safety car was deployed early on due to Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas-Ferrari encountering an apparent engine failure.
Sainz tried to use Lando Norris’s fourth-placed McLaren as a buffer, utilizing the DRS (Drag Reduction System) whenever possible.
However, Pérez swiftly dismissed the attempted defense. Despite Pérez’s skill, overtaking Sainz proved to be a formidable challenge.
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The Ferrari driver put up an epic and well-executed defense, strategically allowing Pérez to inch past approaching Turn 3 at times while maintaining DRS and showcasing impressive late-braking manoeuvres.
Although Sainz eventually had to relinquish his position, his bold efforts also meant that Pérez had lost too much ground to realistically challenge Leclerc for second place in the final laps.
Sainz’s determined defence thwarted Pérez’s attempts to finish in P2 and helped to secure a commendable result for Ferrari.