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Formula 1 Styrian GP

F1 Styrian GP Live Commentary and Updates - race day

Minute-by-minute updates of F1's Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M

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Sainz finally pits from fifth, as does Ricciardo from seventh - both for the hard tyre.

Sainz, in fifth, and Ricciardo, in seventh, are the last drivers standing in terms of pitstop strategies. They will be the ones to watch towards the end of this race.

The front two now come up to traffic, and will be among a train of cars shortly.
Bottas has duly picked up the pace relative to Perez, so perhaps a notification pinged up on his wheel to go faster.
The AWS Overtake-o-meter predicts Perez getting to within striking distance of Bottas in about five laps - but it won't be necessarily easy.
Russell's day is sadly over as he retires from the race and is pushed into the Williams garage.
Pit stop
Alfa Romeo duly pit Raikkonen on lap 37, with Ricciardo staying out after initially being called in by his McLaren team.

Raikkonen, up to P7 and yet to pit having started on the hards, is doing well to keep Ricciardo behind him who is on mediums but also yet to stop. Leclerc, still on his recovery drive, is tucked up behind both.

"Do I need to manage more," Hamilton asks. "We're thinking the other way," Pete Bonnington replies. Is that full send?
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"Expect Hamilton to push, we're fine at the moment," Verstappen is told.
Stopwatch
"These are the critical laps for the stint," Verstappen is told, as Hamilton does a 1m08.362s to hack down the gap.
Verstappen's a bit worried about his brake-by-wire - and Hamilton's reporting a lot of derating from his ERS. The front two aren't having an easy afternoon.
Pit stop
Norris comes into do his stop, having dragged those softs to lap 32 - but now grabs the hard compound too.
Stopwatch
Hamilton and Verstappen now begin to trade fastest laps having collected fresh boots. Hamilton grabbed it at the end of lap 30, but it's Verstappen's once more.
With Alonso and Tsunoda also pitting it has pushed Sainz up to sixth but the Ferrari driver, on mediums, is yet to stop in this race.
Pit stop
Stroll peels into the pits for his stop, taking the hard tyre - as Verstappen now pits for the hard compound tyre too to retain the lead.
Pit stop

More bad news for Russell, as he needs to pit again after that first stop and drops even more time -it looks like his hopes for points are over for another race.

Pit stop
Hamilton also comes in, also for the hard tyre with a swift stop to put pressure on Verstappen.
Pit stop
Bottas also comes in for a pitstop, also for the hard tyre - and gets the jump on Perez.
Williams reports it is managing a power unit issue with Russell's car so that will explain his long pitstop. The British driver is back out in P17.
Perez comes in to stop, but it's a rather slow one! The hard tyre goes onto that Red Bull.
Pit stop
Russell's Plan B sees him pit on lap 27 and it is a very long stop - 18.3 seconds - as the Williams mechanics complete work on the sidepod of his car.
Hamilton very nearly lost it at Turn 4! He held onto it well, but that could have been the end - the rear squirrelled out of step onto the gravel to give him a bit of a fright!

Super move by Leclerc on Ocon around the outside at Turn 4 to take P14 on lap 24. Leclerc, on the hards, is making good work of picking through the lower order so far.

"Bottas is closing in, we're considering our options," Perez's race engineer Hugh Bird says. Perez is doing a good job, keeping the life in those softs.
Pit stop
That Haas fight is halted as Mazepin pits at the end of the lap to switch to the hard tyres.
Haas pair Schumacher and Mazepin having a right big battle over P17, with both drivers keeping it clean for now, as Schumacher looks for a way up the inside at Turn 3.
Stopwatch
Verstappen now drops a 1m09.585s to extend his advantage over Hamilton.
Alonso, in P7, is at the head of a DRS train leading Russell, Tsunoda, Sainz, Vettel and Raikkonen - with that entire group covered by five seconds last time around. Nobody looking to pit early just yet.
"I'm definitely struggling a little bit", Hamilton reports - and Verstappen says that his car has started to feel different too.
As of Lap 19, Verstappen is 3.7s clear of Hamilton, who has opened up a 12.5s gap over Perez. Bottas is lapping at the same pace as the second Red Bull.
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"We need to convert to Plan B for reliability," Russell is told over his team radio. The Williams driver is tucked up behind Alonso so his car might be getting too hot in traffic.

Leclerc, now on the hards after his early stop following his clash with Gasly, gets by Mazepin to take P16, but he's got a long way to go to rescue his afternoon after that messy start.

Those first lap clashes have shuffled up some midfield fighters, most notably Russell, who is currently in eighth place hunting his first points for Williams. He's got Tsunoda, Sainz and Vettel in close company behind.

"Plan A, looking to extend", Norris is told - so they're not looking to fight with the Mercedes and Red Bulls.
Norris then also concedes to Bottas too in Turn 3 on the following lap, perhaps some gamesmanship from the McLaren squad?
But Norris gets mugged into Turn 3 by Perez, and although the British driver tries to come back at him into the next corner, Perez forces him to the outside.
Verstappen and Hamilton going nearly 2s a lap faster than Norris and Perez at the moment - which is eroding at the options that Verstappen has at the front.
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"Low on power, low on power," Ricciardo reports over team radio. He's told it has returned and he continues still running in P13.

So with Gasly retiring at the end of the first lap due to damage, Latifi is still in the race in P19 but a lap down having pitted for a puncture and Leclerc is P18 having pitted for a front wing swap.

By: Jake Boxall-Legge

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