Mercedes driver, George Russell, claimed victory at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in a tense finish to secure his first Formula One win since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Russell maintained his composure in the closing laps as Verstappen steadily reduced the gap, while Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli also closed in on the Red Bull driver before the chequered flag.
The victory at the Austrian Grand Prix lifts Russell back to second place in the drivers’ championship and reduces his deficit to championship leader Antonelli to 40 points.
Russell withstands late pressure
Starting from pole position, Russell controlled much of the race despite increasing pressure from Verstappen in the closing stages.
The Red Bull driver benefited from a major upgrade introduced by his team for its home race and delivered one of his strongest performances of the season after crashing during qualifying.
Antonelli also joined the battle for second in the final laps and briefly threatened Verstappen, but the four-time world champion held on to finish second, with the Mercedes rookie completing the podium in third.
Russell crossed the line 1.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen, while Antonelli finished just 0.3 seconds behind the Dutchman.
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“The tough races definitely test you psychologically,” Russell said.
“These last two weekends for me have been vitally important to remind myself I can do it.”
Early strategy shapes race
Russell retained the lead from pole and built an early advantage as Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen battled intensely for second place.
Hamilton eventually made an early pit stop after losing out to Verstappen in a prolonged wheel-to-wheel fight, a decision that effectively ended his challenge for the podium.
Russell and Verstappen stayed out longer before making their first stops within a lap of each other.
Antonelli adopted a different strategy by extending his opening stint before pitting shortly before a virtual safety car triggered by Carlos Sainz’s stranded Williams.
The varying tyre strategies set up an intriguing final phase, with Verstappen attempting to use fresher tyres to chase Russell while Antonelli hunted Verstappen for second.
Ferrari strategy backfires
Ferrari’s hopes of challenging for the podium faded after an unsuccessful tyre strategy.
Hamilton appeared competitive during the opening stint but dropped back after switching to soft tyres under the virtual safety car. Team-mate Charles Leclerc also struggled and was forced into a three-stop strategy.
Hamilton admitted he struggled with tyre grip and balance throughout the race.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said the team’s tyre management forced a change in strategy.
“We over-pushed the first couple of laps and had to change the strategy and everything went in the wrong direction,” Vasseur said.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri capitalised on Ferrari’s difficulties to finish fourth, ahead of Hamilton in fifth.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar finished sixth, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Leclerc.
Top 10 finishers
George Russell (Mercedes)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
Next race
Formula One heads to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone next weekend, with the race weekend scheduled from July 3 to July 5 and featuring a sprint event.
