George Russell pieced his season back together in Austria, restoring a storyline that had seemed to be slipping from his grasp. After 112 anxious days without a win, the Mercedes driver converted pole position into victory at the Austrian Grand Prix and breathed new life into his world championship hopes.
It was Russell’s first success since he opened his campaign with a win in Melbourne on March 8. In the months that followed, he had watched Kimi Antonelli, once viewed as his junior partner, take identical Mercedes machinery to five victories of his own.
Under a blazing sun in the Styrian mountains, however, Russell finally had his answer. The result moved him to within 40 points of the championship lead, prompting Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to hail a “cold-blooded” drive. It needed to be, with Max Verstappen applying relentless pressure during a tense middle phase of the race.
Russell ultimately had the pace and composure to control the contest, leaving Verstappen to settle for a hard-fought second place for Red Bull. Antonelli completed the podium in third after an aggressive early spell briefly sent him off track.
The victory felt earned from the moment Russell delivered a superb pole lap on Saturday. His effort came despite a late yellow flag caused by Verstappen spinning at the penultimate corner in qualifying, forcing the Briton to lift off the throttle. Russell handled the moment cleanly, understood the regulations and still did enough to secure top spot.
Verstappen, for his part, also merited praise for his runner-up finish. His qualifying spin was not of his own making, with a mechanical issue leaving him compromised and consigning him to fifth on the grid.
George Russell’s win in Austria moved him to within 40 points of team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the drivers’ standings
The British driver controlled the race after resisting a renewed challenge from Max Verstappen
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But, barring a change of fortunes – and who can rule it out? – Verstappen is not contesting the championship. Russell, however, is. We can assert that with some authority after these 71 laps at the Red Bull Ring. Had he flunked it, or others outpaced him, Russell’s prospects would head to Silverstone this coming weekend in need of CPR, pronto. It was that big a weekend for him and not only owing to the mathematical equation becoming increasingly complex to compute.
His mind needed the balm, too. He had to prove to himself that his pre-season self-belief, buttressed by winter testing, was not a chimera. Then, he bore a film-star strut. That high-stepping air had been tempered in recent weeks, misfortune and Antonelli’s relative speediness assailing him. Yes, he maintained that he still backed himself, but he must have suffered faint doubts by a thousand cuts.
He was cleanly away and never much rattled, at least other than for one small lock-up as Verstappen asked searching questions on lap 36. The curtain of opportunity revealed a glimmer of light to the Dutchman, but Russell was quickly back into his stride.
He produced enough fleet of foot after his second and final stop that when Verstappen pitted shortly afterwards, he was nearly 11 seconds back rather than breathing hot air on Russell’s balaclava.
If it was a revitalising day for Russell, it was less so for Lewis Hamilton, who started as Antonelli’s closest rival for the title, 40 points back after his first win for Ferrari, in Barcelona a fortnight ago.
The seven-time world champion started third and raced well, yet came off second best to Verstappen as they went wheel-to-wheel on two captivating occasions.
Hamilton fought hard, but fairly, in not allowing Max a free voucher. Verstappen ran his right wheels off the track as they duelled. A spray of gravel. Verstappen cried foul. The stewards rightly waved the protest away.
But Verstappen was not done, and, on lap 22, he passed Hamilton on the inside of Turn Six. He had previously tried to squeeze ahead there on the outside. Now the artful dodger inveigled himself precisely where Hamilton was not expecting him. It was the overtake of the afternoon.
Hamilton is clearly much improved from last year, with three consecutive podiums, but his attempt to recapture lightning in a bottle for a second successive race was not helped by the misguided decision to bring him in for a pointless tyre change – one more than all of the top seven finishers – during a virtual safety car period brought about by Carlos Sainz’s Williams conking out.
Ferrari will be Ferrari.
Hamilton fell from third to seventh, and eventually fifth, a place behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The legend chasing his eighth title is 46 points off Antonelli. ‘A reality check,’ he admitted.
As for Russell, his margin was 1.6sec. ‘Yabba-dabba-doo!’ he exclaimed, relief bursting out of Formula One’s Fred Flintstone, before he received his winner’s medal from Bernie Ecclestone, who patted him on both cheeks. George proceeded to guzzle the Moet & Chandon like the Great Gatsby.
