Checo and Lance surged through the field to secure our first double points haul of the 2020 Formula 1 season by taking P6 and P7 in the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

Determined to bounce back from a challenging Qualifying session in wet conditions yesterday, our boys were on the front foot in the opening dozen laps to surge into Top 10 contention.

Lance made one of his characteristic strong starts to leap from P12 to P10 on the opening lap, as Checo kept his nose clean from collisions elsewhere in the field to rise towards the fringes of the points-paying positions.

Following an early Safety Car, the pair picked off more positions to put both RP20s inside the Top 10 by Lap 12.

They kept up that impressive pace throughout the opening stint too, with Lance running as high as P6 before swapping his soft compound tyres for a set of mediums on Lap 33.

Checo took advantage of the free air to rise toP4 after a flurry of personal best laps and, after pitting on Lap 38 for the same compound, the Mexican returned to the track behind his team-mate in P8.

An opportunistic move by Carlos Sainz dropped Checo back down to P9 momentarily as he exited the pits – but our man pulled off a stunning move through the high-speed Turns 6 and 7 to storm around the outside and return to P8.

When the McLaren pitted soon afterwards, our boys were elevated to P6 and P7, with Checo leading the charge.

Checo then began homing in on the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo and, on Lap 49, swooped past his rival on the run down to Turn4.

Now back in clean air again, Checo immediately hunted down Alex Albon in P4 as Lance began to close on Ricciardo for P6, with both our drivers playing their part in a thrilling finale.

Checo had taken over two seconds out of Albon in the second stint and was able to launch a move into Turn 4 – but unfortunately there was contact with the Red Bull, damaging his front wing.

Further back, Lance made a bold move down the inside of Ricciardo at Turn 3 to grab P6, before the pair were joined in battle by Lando Norris on the final lap.

With fractions separating the quartet at the line, Checo would eventually take P6 and Lance P7 in a photo finish, securing a strong haul of points in the process and ensuring we keep our grip on P4 in the Constructors’ Championship.

Checo: “The team did a fantastic job today: the strategy was good and the car had strong pace. We managed to achieve our goal of recovering positions and managed to drive all the way to P5 ­– almost P4 at the end.

“I was pushing Alex Albon hard through the second stint and I only had the one opportunity to overtake him. Unfortunately, we touched, and I lost a position and finished in P6.

“The important thing is that we made a good step from last weekend to this weekend at the same circuit.

“Considering the car is a new concept this year, we’ve shown that we are still learning and trying to understand it. I’m excited to go racing in Hungary next weekend.”

 Lance: “We started the race strongly and settled into it quickly, making up some places. We managed to close in on the Renaults ahead too.

‍“The second stint was a little trickier and it was very difficult to pass Daniel Ricciardo ­because he was strong on the entry and exit of Turn 1. But I was patient and I saw an opportunity to pass him on the final lap and made the move stick.

“That was such an exciting end to the race and I hope the fans at home enjoyed it as much as we did.

“The car was competitive today and we performed strongly against our rivals. That’s promising for the coming races.”

 Otmar Szafnauer, CEO & Team Principal: “After a difficult Saturday, we recovered well to score some important points this afternoon with both cars.

“The end of the race was a bit messy, but we gave it everything in those final few laps. Both drivers performed well with some strong overtakes to move forward from their starting positions.

“Sergio enjoyed a great battle with Albon over fourth place, while Lance was fighting with Ricciardo and Norris. It’s a shame there was contact with Albon because the resulting front wing damage dropped Sergio to sixth place at the flag.

‍“Despite the late drama, we still come away with 14 points and take more encouragement from the car pace as we prepare for next week’s race in Hungary.”