All eyes at the start of the Styrian Grand Prix were on championship protagonists Max Verstappen - starting on pole - and Lewis Hamilton, who lined up alongside him.
In the end, both men made near perfect getaways, with the main action happening behind the Red Bull and the Mercedes.
In particular there was a close battle between AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, which saw both drivers run wide at Turn 1 before the latter tagged the former's rear tyre, kick-starting a chain of events that led to multiple contacts at Turn 3 and both Leclerc and Gasly pitting at the end of lap 1 - the latter for good...
Watch all the action unfold in the video above.
Next Up
Related Articles
/HD7ZsX-W8AAWxO-.webp)
Check out Racing Bulls’ special livery for Japan
5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the Japanese GP
Vowles explains how Williams ‘need’ to use April break.webp)
UnlockedCan Bearman avoid the ‘Sophomore Slump’ in 2026?
Why Button feels ‘a little bit jealous’ of Alonso and Stroll
Crawford to replace Alonso at Aston Martin for FP1 in Japan