Why did F1 drivers run 2 formation laps in the Austrian GP sprint race? All we know

The Austrian GP F1 Sprint race saw the drivers do two formation laps instead of the one before the five lights go out for the start on Saturday (June 29). The 24-lap dash at the Red Bull Ring was among the most exciting Sprint races fans have seen since its inception in 2021.

However, it did not get off to the perfect start as F1 drivers had to abort the start and do an extra formation lap to the grid. As per Sky Sports, the delay at the start of the races was caused by safety concerns regarding the positioning of photographers at Turn 1.

The Turn 1, although wide in nature and having extra space, could be a tight corner at the start of the race as drivers jockey to gain positions before the first braking zone to take momentum into the long straight leading to Turn 3.

The extra formation lap resulted in the Sprint losing a racing lap and shortened to 23 laps despite the extra lap not being a competitive one. Since all the cars on the grid were fuelled for the exact 24 laps, it would have been difficult for them to finish, had the Sprint been its original number of laps.

Max Verstappen analyzes his Sprint F1 win at Austria

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that he was happy with his start and the opening lap despite doing an extra formation lap to the grid at the Austrian GP F1 Sprint on Saturday.

In his post-race interview with F1TV, the three-time world champion said:

"It was a good first lap but once the DRS opens, it was very hard to get out of it. A few exciting battles as well but once we cleared the DRS, I could do my own race and it was better. You could see they had two cars pushing flat-out trying to make it difficult for me."

He further added:

"A few things to think about we can do better for tomorrow because it's a longer race and harder for the tyres. It will be interesting to see how that evolves."

Max Verstappen's Sprint win in Austria was his third consecutive at the Red Bull Ring, having previously won in 2022 and 2023 from Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, respectively. The Red Bull driver had to work hard to earn his victory as he was pushed all the way by the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on Saturday.

He even lost the race lead to the British driver heading into Turn 3 but quickly regained the momentum to pass him at the end of the DRS Zone in Turn 4 to take back the initiative and manage the remaining laps ahead of Piastri.