MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: The key strategy call came on Lap 14 in Austria, so who got it right – Red Bull or Ferrari?


Max Verstappen could probably have won the Austrian Grand Prix any way he liked. He was already dominating the race, over 5 seconds in the lead on the 14th lap, when he and Red Bull faced a moment of decision about how to react to the Virtual Safety Car thrown when Nico Hulkenberg's Haas broke down.
Verstappen and the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were already past the pit entry when it came, but most of those behind took the decision to pit, thus saving time over a normal pit stop taken with the field at full racing speed. The VSC was still in force as the lead trio came by on the next lap and this time the two Ferraris came in – but Verstappen stayed out.
READ MORE: Verstappen beats Leclerc for victory in Austria to make it five wins in a row
Next Up
Related Articles
McLaren have ‘work ahead of us' as Stella identifies main objective
9 moments you missed at the Australian Grand Prix
All the key moments from the 2026 Australian GP
‘It was the best start we could have wished for’ – Antonelli
Aston Martin ‘motived’ and ‘determined’ to improve – Alonso
Lindblad overjoyed by ‘pretty nuts’ P8 finish on debut
