Russell leads all 71 laps to win Austrian GP for Mercedes
Summary
After a qualifying session shaped by Max Verstappen’s crash and yellow flags, George Russell converted pole position into victory at the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, leading all 71 laps to win for Mercedes by 1.611 seconds over Verstappen. Kimi Antonelli recovered from a poor start to finish third and complete a Mercedes double podium, and Russell’s second Grand Prix win of the season, his first since the Australian Grand Prix in March, cut Antonelli’s championship lead even though the rookie remained top of the standings.
Verstappen challenged Russell at several stages and Red Bull’s race pace improved, but he could not close the gap after the final pit stops. Oscar Piastri was fourth for McLaren and Lewis Hamilton fifth for Ferrari, which again missed the podium after a mistimed Safety Car pit stop and a three-stop strategy that did not pay off. Among the other classified finishers were Isack Hadjar, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon and Fernando Alonso. Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas did not finish.