5 talking points after the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix

The 2019 Austrian Grand Prix was by far the most thrilling of all races held so far. For starters, there was no victory for Mercedes or for Lewis Hamilton, to be precise.

And even as the prancing horse wasn't able to prevail from the top step of the podium, Ferrari did well enough to restore some faith into those fans who may have lost some in their beloved team's capabilities (as seen of late).

The Red Bull Ring produced a fierce battle between two young and daring 21-year-old's as the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, with 9 world titles between them could do little to dictate terms.

The 71-lap run also upheld the superiority of Red Bull, who prevailed in the end, this being their home race. And much like last year, Max Verstappen did just enough to clinch a race that might be called a cliffhanger in the end.

Having said that, there were a lot of performances that earned praise from fans and critics alike. That leads us to the 5 talking points from the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix:

Antonio Giovinazzi scores his maiden points in Formula 1

F1 Grand Prix of Austria saw the Afla Romeo driver score his first-ever points

Make no mistake. The Spielberg contest wasn't only about Charles Leclerc of Ferrari or Max Verstappen of Red Bull alone.

The 71-lap contest was also about something memorable for another young driver. The just-concluded Grand Prix marked a special occasion for 25-year-old Antonio Giovinazzi.

This was to be an occasion where the young Italian driver scored his first ever F1 points, following a respectable P10 after the thrilling contest.

While much of the race was about the brilliant wheel-to-wheel battle happening at the very front of the grid, Antonio Giovinazzi was driving a sturdy race to keep the pursuing Toro Rosso' and Renaults at bay.

Earlier on Saturday, during the qualifying, Giovinazzi drove a committed lap and put his Alfa Romeo on eighth on the grid. In doing so, he'd register a flying lap of 1:04:179, finishing right behind his teammate (and role model) Kimi Raikkonen.

With 9 races done and 12 more to go, one can be certain that Antonio Giovinazzi, with 1 point against his name, will be hungry to score more.

Lando Norris' amazing start to his maiden Austrian Grand Prix

F1 e Grand Prix of Austria - where the McLaren driver drove excellently

Perhaps it may not be wrong to suggest that Lando Norris' drive happened to be among the most underrated performances at Austria. The rookie McLaren driver displayed great commitment during qualifying in bagging the sixth position on the grid.

And later on, on race day, he would do terrifically well to defend the said position, securing a respectable P6 in the end, something that not many would've expected given his sheer inexperience.

But implicit in Norris's drive, who's already set 1 fastest lap of this season (earlier on), was his start. And boy, wasn't it one heck of a start for someone who hadn't previously raced at the challenging venue?

Within seconds of the red lights turning green, Norris was quick to jump ahead of his starting place on the grid and displayed raw pace from the word go. He'd land ahead of Max, who stalled his car and quickly emerged right behind Lewis Hamilton on fourth.

That's not all. In the run-up to Turn 1, the British driver passed his compatriot, Hamilton, who was struggling for grip inside the opening lap. In so doing, the teenager who's yet to turn 20, began holding onto his third position on the grid, something he'd so excellently fought for.

Verstappen's fantastic run of form at Spielberg

Before he arrived in Austria, Max Verstappen had only 5 wins against his name. As he left Austria, he not only increased his tally, grabbing a famous sixth win, his second overall at Spielberg but also set the fastest lap of the day.

His brilliant 1:07:475 on Lap 60 emerged as the fastest lap of the day. In a truly incredible drive, Verstappen put the fans to the edge of their seats, his Red Bull right on top of the proceedings and provided great entertainment to hundreds of thousands of attendees, drenched in orange.

But above anything else, Max Verstappen was able to execute a range of breathtaking overtakes at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix. Before he went on to own the climax of the race, through that daring move on Leclerc, Verstappen had also passed the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas a few laps before.

He fought bravely throughout the contest. And, he was able to prove a simple fact that despite starting poorly, if a driver has courage, then he can make it count in the end.

Finally, an occasion where Vettel beat Hamilton, if not on the podium

Sebastian Vettel didn't exactly have a ball in Austria- isn't it? The experienced driver, who secured a fighting third at the venue last year began the 71-lap run from a lowly tenth this time around.

This was owing to a technical glitch that hampered his qualification lap on Saturday. Yet the driver in his SF 90 persisted and emerged with a very respectable fourth, in the end, finishing just behind Valtteri Bottas.

But interestingly, at a time where much of the race was being dictated by the two powerful frontrunners- Verstappen and Leclerc- Vettel was fighting his own battle for fourth. And one would see him fight hard against Lewis Hamilton, who was, until Lap 70, holding on well for fourth.

This is exactly when Vettel came along on the penultimate lap and changed the course of the narrative. Heading onto the main straights, Vettel dived down on the outside of the defending world champion and claimed the fourth place on the grid, a position from which he wouldn't relent until the checkered flag.

It was clear to see Lewis Hamilton suffering from tyre ware, thus making it difficult for him to defend from the Ferrari driver.

The battle of 2019 that all had been waiting for

In many ways, the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix gave drivers as well as fans a refreshing break from the draining experience of seeing a one-sided Mercedes-dominated narrative so far.

For starters, we didn't have yet another win by Mercedes, who've driven brilliantly so far, claiming all 8 race wins before landing in Austria.

But the tipping point of the thrilling Spielberg contest was the wheel-banging battle that took place between race-winner Max Verstappen and the Charles Leclerc, who emerged the second-best driver at the Red Bull Ring.

Charles Leclerc's brilliant defending from the onset of lap 67, wherein his battle with Verstappen further intensified to the final moments until the checkered flag was simply thrilling and 'edge of the seat' stuff.

What was even thrilling was the way the Ferrari driver went on to defend his track position, before Verstappen stepped in to change the narrative of the contest forever.

Edited by Sai Teja