Verstappen dominates Austrian GP, Leclerc finishes 2nd

Red Bull's Max Verstappen accomplished a Triple Crown effort Sunday at Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, winning the Austrian Grand Prix from pole position while also taking the fastest lap.

The result is Verstappen's fifth consecutive win and seventh of the season through nine races. It's also his second hat trick of the year; he accomplished the same feat at the Spanish GP, where he led every lap of the race.

On top of dominating the grand prix, Verstappen was the fastest in Saturday's shootout and won the sprint event handily.

The victory moves Verstappen into sole possession of fifth on the all-time list of winningest drivers, passing Brazilian great Ayrton Senna with 42. Only Lewis Hamilton (103), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53), and Alain Prost (51) have more wins.

Charles Leclerc led a promising effort from Ferrari, finishing second. While his teammate Carlos Sainz crossed the line fourth, a post-race penalty dropped the Spanish driver to sixth.

While Verstappen earned a dominant result, a battle with Leclerc spoiled a streak of leading 248 consecutive laps dating back to the Miami GP, which included three full grand prix.

The reigning champ's teammate Sergio Perez rounded out the podium in third. Checo overcame a difficult qualifying session Friday, as he didn't make it out of Q2 and placed 15th.

"It hasn't been an easy weekend," Perez said following the race. "It's been a bit of a rough patch for me, so hopefully, we can keep this going for now."

Red Bull remains undefeated on the year, with Perez claiming victory in the only two races Verstappen didn't win in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

It was a penalty-ridden grand prix, with multiple drivers getting pipped for exceeding track limits and handed five-second penalties. Following the race, further 10-second drops were handed down to Sainz, Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Nyck de Vries, and Yuki Tsunoda.

Lando Norris crossed the line fifth and was bumped up to fourth due to the post-race penalties. McLaren's Brit was selected as Driver of the Day by fan vote.

Fernando Alonso, who sits third in the driver standings, crossed the line sixth but also moved ahead of Sainz. The two-time champion is the highest-ranked non-Red Bull driver.

Mercedes' Hamilton and George Russell finished seventh and eighth, respectively, but swapped places due to the former's penalty.

Alpine's Gasly at ninth and Aston's Lance Stroll in 10th also swapped positions as a result of the sanctions, with Gasly rounding out the points.

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone takes place next weekend.