Fresh from his first points of the season in Canada, Pastor Maldonado turned in another fine top ten finish in the Austrian Grand 🌳Prix, the Venezuelan exerting some i🌳mpressive car control in the process.

Qualifying 11th but starti💟ng tenth, Maldonado's strategy of beginning on the prime tyres and saving fuel for the first stint would see him come on strong in the closing stages of the race as he engaged in a tussle for seventh with Max Verstappen.

However, Maldonado was made to work hard to pass the youngster, initially surviving a leerꦅy moment out of turn one, before a sharp change of line down the home straight under DRS saw his Lotus very nearly snap away from him.

Getting the car under control an🐠d then passing Verstappen when he ran wide at turn one, Maldonado's second consecutive seventh place finish puts him just four points shy of the overall top ten now.

"It's grea🦹t to get another seventh position and the points that come with it. It was a big moment fighting with Max. The super ꦍsoft tyres were very hot so losing their grip and you lose a lot of downforce close to the car ahead, but everything was under control!

"I wanted to get the position and I think we deserved it. It seems like we're coming into a good time of the sꦇeason for us so we'll all ꦡkeep working hard to continue scoring points."