Max Verstappen resisted a feisty challenge from Sergio Perez to claim top spot in the Sprint at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The pair came close to contact, with Verstappen forced onto the grass on the opening lap before seizing the lead and pulling clear.

Nico Hulkenberg starred in the opening laps, rising to second as the Red Bull’s squabbled, before slipping back in the latter stages.

Starting from pole, Verstappen moved inside to defend from Perez on the run to the opening corner, but the Mexican had drawn alongside and stole the place.

The pair then ran side by side out of the opening corner, Perez running having gone wide, compromising his exit, which allowed Verstappen to attack.

They ran wheel-to-wheel on the run up the hill, the championship leader pushed off the road, dropping two wheels onto the grass.

The battle continued at Turn 3, almost opening the door for Lando Norris and Nico Hulkenberg, the German moving into second when they got to Turn 4.

Perez was left wrong-footed in the slippery conditions, sending him wide and opening the door for the Haas to move through and Verstappen to solidify his place out front.

Norris also slid wide and dropped to 10th at the end of the opening lap, while Lewis Hamilton made up five places to sit 13th.

After the fiery opening exchanges, the front of the race soon settled down, Verstappen pulling a gap over Hulkenberg behind.

Perez was also dropping back as gaps began developing between the leading runners.

It was less settled in the pack where confidence in the wet weather saw some unlikely battles.

Kevin Magnussen challenged and passed George Russell, moving around the outside at Turn 6 to move into 11th place.

Charles Leclerc was also in the thick of it, challenging Esteban Ocon for eighth when the Frenchman ran wide at Turn 4 before coming under attack from Norris.

A third of the way into the race, and though was still no semblance of a dry line appearing, drivers began searching for water off line – Red Bull instructed Verstappen that the front left was the limitation.

The track was drying, raising the prospect of a late switch to dry tyres.

After 10 laps, Hulkenberg began to slow, allowing Perez to close in, bringing Carlos Sainz with him.

The Haas had burned through its tyres, Magnussen’s pace having also dropped off as he fell behind Russell and Hamilton to fall from 11th to 13th in two laps.

Perez claimed second on Lap 12, Hulkenberg powerless as he covered the inside of Turn 4 only for the Red Bull to ease by around the outside.

Without the rear end grip exiting Turn 3 next time by, the Haas driver slipped off the podium as Sainz powered by.

With 10 laps remaining, a dry line began to appear in places, though rooster tails of spray remained evident in others.

Having been embroiled in a scrap with Ocon and Norris, a mistake from Leclerc at the final corner saw him side wide, opening the door for the McLaren to slip through into ninth.

As that happened, Russell pitted for slicks, leaving eight laps to regain the 20 seconds he lost by stopping.

It pre-empted the FIA enabling DRS, officials deciding the circuit had dried sufficiently to enable the device.

Lance Stroll used it soon after to pass Hulkenberg, with Alonso soon following his Aston Martin team-mate through.

Russell had strong pace on slick tyres, encouraging Mercedes to pit Hamilton and Haas to call in Magnussen.

Hulkenberg had also pitted, opting for a set of mediums as he fed out into 12th.

Russell’s pace was a quandary for teams as they held track position with five laps left but a deficit of some two seconds a lap – increasing as the tyres came up to temperature.

Verstappen out front was safe; he held a 55s advantage over Russell and 16.7s over Perez, while Sainz and the Aston Martin pairing were, in theory, safe at the head of the race.

However, from Ocon back to Russell were stuck in no-mans land; they’d left it too late to stop but within striking distance of the charging Mercedes.

Hamilton was also on a charge, though lost time scrapping with Leclerc, Alex Albon, and Valtteri Bottas.

After 24 laps, Verstappen took a commanding Sprint win ahead of team-mate Perrez, with Carlos Sainz third.

Stroll hung on ahead of Alonso while a charging slick-shod Hulkenberg was closing on the pair.

Then came Ocon, who’d lost out at the start of the final lap, and the storming Russell, who’d recovered to eighth and almost stole seventh on the line.

Norris was ninth in the leading McLaren, then Hamilton and Oscar Piastri came in 11th.