Red Bull rising star Max Verstappen has won his third Formula One Driver of the Day Award after securing a strong second-place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman made a difficult one-stop strategy work in Spielberg, as he completed a mammoth 56-lap second stint on the soft tyre in his team’s home event.
Lining up eighth on the grid, Verstappen enjoyed a solid getaway and made quick work of his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo before moving past Force India's Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren-Honda’s Jenson Button.
The 18-year-old then leapfrogged Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in the pits before Sebastian Vettel’s tyre failure promoted him to third. Verstappen then drove a steady race to resit a late charge from Raikkonen and ended up gaining one position on the final lap following a collision between the two Mercedes ahead of him.
Verstappen’s first Driver of the Day accolade came after the teenager became the youngest F1 race winner by taking victory in Spain in early May. He then picked up a second award at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he defended superbly from Nico Rosberg in the final laps.
The Red Bull ace is the first racer to pocket three ‘Driver of the Day’ trophies. Other awardees are Haas’ Romain Grosjean in Australia and Bahrain, Daniil Kvyat, then racing for Red Bull, in China, Renault’s Kevin Magnussen in Russia, and Force India’s Sergio Perez in Monaco and Baku.
The Driver of the Day award has been introduced this season, as F1 bosses seek to try and increase fan engagement.
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