2023 Austrian Grand Prix

The smallest margin of victory this season, and yet perhaps the biggest statement. Max Verstappen is unstoppable right now.

You’ve seen Mark Hughes write about the hypotheticals of a championship without Red Bull, and what makes it so fascinating is the ebb and flow of the three teams trying to chase Christian Horner’s outfit down. In Austria, it was Ferrari who took up the mantle of lead challenger, with the McLaren of Lando Norris a wildcard in the mix.

Ferrari had shown encouraging Friday pace and had been particularly strong in Canada, so the team’s performance engineer Jock Clear was optimistic Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz could make the race “very interesting” from second and third on the grid respectively if pole-sitter Verstappen wasn’t allowed to get away in the early stages.