Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished fifth and eighth after struggling with severe rear tyre degradation during the Austrian Grand Prix. Both drivers expressed confusion over the sudden loss of grip in hot conditions.
Hamilton started third and battled early with Max Verstappen before dropping back. He switched to a three-stop strategy after just 13 laps on hard tyres but could not recover position.
Leclerc fell from second on the grid to eighth. He noted strong qualifying pace the day before but described the race as having very low grip, especially at the rear.
Team principal Fred Vasseur said the drivers over-pushed early while lacking overall pace. He added that power unit overheating occurred while running in traffic.
George Russell won the race ahead of Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli, moving Russell into second place in the drivers' championship behind Antonelli.
