George Russell said it was “good to remind himself that he can do it” as he claimed a morale-boosting victory from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Austria.
It was Russell’s first win since the opening day of the season in Melbourne and allowed him to close to within 40 points of Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the top of the championship. The Italian teenager finished third, narrowly running out of time to catch Verstappen at the end.
There was disappointment for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, who were well off the pace both in terms of their car and their strategy.
Hamilton finished fifth on a three-stop strategy, over 26 seconds behind Russell, with team-mate Charles Leclerc even further back.
It is a blow to the seven-time world champion’s hopes of winning a record eighth title, although the Red Bull Ring is a bit of an outlier given its altitude. Hamilton drops behind Russell in the championship, 46 points behind Antonelli.
“The tough races definitely test you psychologically,” Russell said at the finish. “These last two weekends for me have been vitally important to remind myself I can do it. Single lap, race pace, was very strong this weekend, on a track that was probably not well suited to my style. I look forward to heading to Silverstone!”
More to follow…
Top three on the podium
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Top ten in full
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- 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)
Kimi Antonelli after he finished third
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“I was a bit too excited on the first few laps! I definitely did not drive well. I made too many mistakes and on the first stint on the medium, I lost three or four seconds with the mistakes. I was struggling with the brakes.
“After I changed tyres, I reset and the pace at the end was very strong. It was a shame I joined the party a bit too late. On my side, there is a lot to improve, but still, minimise the mistakes.”
Max Verstappen, who finished second
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“It was a very good race for us. The first few laps were quite fun and then it was basically trying to manage your tyres. I think I was in quite a good window for half the race and then picked up a few issues with the car which prevented me from finding that rhythm.
“But to be second and that close to a win is extremely positive. I knocked my knees in qualifying, that was not nice, but today was okay.”
George Russell speaking after winning the race
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“Incredible to be back on the top step. It has been a little while, so I will definitely enjoy this one this evening! A lot of hard work with my team to get us back on track. Obviously it was a tricky run of form at one point. Max [Verstappen] and Red Bull were incredibly quick this weekend, so kudos to them.
“I had to push every single lap and I knew how quick the guys were behind. Kimi [Antonelli] has been extraordinarily quick this season, so every lap I was looking at the timing board. We pitted on the early side [for the last stop], so I knew it would be a long stint but the team timed it to perfection.
“The tough races definitely test you psychologically. These last two weekends for me have been vitally important to remind myself I can do it. Single lap, race pace, was very strong this weekend, on a track that was probably not well suited to my style. I look forward to heading to Silverstone!”
Top five in the drivers’ standings after the Austrian GP
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- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 171pts
- George Russell (Mercedes) - 131pts
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 125pts
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 80pts
- Lando Norris (McLaren) - 79pts
Regret for Red Bull?
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Thought we might get a grandstand three-way finale but I think Verstappen was right, Red Bull made the wrong call earlier. They should have brought him in immediately after Russell pitted. He lost so much time in those six laps. Obviously Red Bull hoped the tyre offset would play into their hands late on, but Verstappen ran out of time to catch Russell and ended up having to hold off Antonelli.
Good day for Mercedes. Russell reclaims second in the championship, moving back to within 40pts of Antonelli, with Hamilton falling 46pts behind the Italian in third.
Top five
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- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
George Russell wins the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix
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The Briton converts pole into a really important race in his hopes of winning the world championship. Then comes Verstappen, just three tenths ahead of Antonelli. Under two seconds covers the top three in the end! Piastri is fourth with Hamilton on fifth.
Lap 71 of 71
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As we start the final lap, Antonelli is within a second of Verstappen. Antonelli does not have a shot into turn three but what about the run down to turn four? No chance there as Verstappen is holding onto second.
Lap 69 of 71
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Antonelli is closing up to Verstappen but is he going to run out of time?
Lap 68 of 71
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Norris had closed up within a second of Hadjar but has dropped out of that range and his chance of taking sixth appears to have gone.
Lap 65 of 71
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Russell appears to have the race win in the bag, five seconds clear of Verstappen. Antonelli is just over three seconds behind Verstappen so there is an outside chance the championship leader could get second.
The closest battle is between Hadjar and Norris for sixth and seventh.
Lap 63 of 71
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Norris’ tyres are seven laps younger than Hadjar’s and is now within two seconds of the Frenchman.
Lap 59 of 71
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Norris, down in eighth, has much fresher tyres than Leclerc in seventh ahead of him and is closing in. Norris is right behind Leclerc on the run up to turn one but opts against the move there, instead waiting until turn three and then moves up the inside to take seventh. Norris will be eyeing up Hadjar and maybe even Hamilton in the closing stages.
Lap 57 of 71
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Hadjar has closed up behind Leclerc and gets a move done up the inside of turn three. However, Leclerc retakes sixth place with an overtake up the inside of turn four. Leclerc then goes too deep into that corner and Hadjar is able to finally get the move done for sixth. We have some so many battles like that today that have gone all the way from the entry into turn three to turn six.
Lap 55 of 71
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Top five with gaps:
- Russell Interval
- Verstappen +8.6
- Antonelli +4.9
- Piastri +2.1
- Hamilton +2.9
To add more drama potentially in the closing stages of this race, there is some rain not far away from the track.
Lap 53 of 71
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A virtual safety car is deployed as there was a bollard on the track at turn three as Albon has hit it. It is quickly retrieved and the virtual safety car does not last long.
Lap 52 of 71
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With Piastri having passed Leclerc, will Ferrari tell Leclerc to move over and allow Hamilton through? Hamilton gets the move done on his teammate on the run up to turn three.
Meanwhile Mercedes have brought Antonelli in for his second stop and is back out in third, but only just in front of Piastri.
Lap 50 of 71
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Verstappen has reported that his “tyres are dead” so Red Bull respond by bringing him in. The Dutchman comes back out in third and in some clean air. Antonelli, who is yet to stop for a second time, is out in front.
Lap 48 of 71
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As McLaren bring Norris in from fourth for his second stop, his teammate Piastri is eyeing up a move on Leclerc and, as he did earlier, gets the move done up the inside of turn three to take fourth.
Lap 47 of 71
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Top five with gaps:
- Verstappen Interval
- Antonelli +3.5
- Russell +11.4
- Norris +5.7
- Leclerc +8.3
Verstappen, Antonelli and Norris have only pitted once.
Lap 43 of 71
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With Verstappen closing in, Mercedes decide to bring Russell in. Russell re-emerges into some fresh air in third behind Verstappen and Antonelli.
Lap 42 of 71
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Both Piastri and Hamilton are brought in from fourth and fifth respectively. Leclerc goes back through but his tyres are a bit older.
Lap 39 of 71
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Hamilton is pushing behind Piastri and then has a huge moment of oversteer at turn nine, where Verstappen crashed in qualifying yesterday. Hamilton did a pretty good job to save that as it could have been a nasty crash for the seven-time world champion.
Lap 37 of 71
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Piastri has a good run on Leclerc up towards turn three and gets the move done up the inside to take fourth place. Hamilton then thinks of passing his teammate at turn four but Leclerc holds him off. However, that is only temporary as Hamilton gets the overtake done at turn six. Ferrari then bring Leclerc into the pits. Leclerc appears to have a bit of damage to his front wing, which may have come when Piastri passed him at turn three. Ferrari though decide against changing the front wing.
Lap 36 of 71
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At the front, Verstappen has closed the gap to Russell to just over two seconds.
Meanwhile around a second covers Leclerc, Piastri and Hamilton in fourth, fifth and sixth.
Lap 35 of 71
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Piastri, with fresher tyres, has closed up to the back of Leclerc and is around a second behind the Monegasque driver. Hamilton is a second behind Piastri having had to manage temperatures in recent laps.
Lap 33 of 71
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Williams press officer: “Carlos has retired from the race following a suspected electrical issue. The team will investigate further and provide another update after safety checks have been completed.” More power unit woes for Mercedes?
Lap 32 of 71
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Top five with gaps:
- Russell Interval
- Verstappen +4.0
- Antonelli +9.2
- Leclerc +1.6
- Piastri +1.7
Lap 30 of 71
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Antonelli has got the move done on Leclerc at turn four to take third place.
Meanwhile further back, Hamilton is jostling with Hadjar and gets the move done.
Lap 29 of 71
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Antonelli is right in behind Leclerc; he thinks about moves at turns three and four but cannot take third from the Ferrari man. Leclerc is more than eight seconds behind Verstappen.
Lap 27 of 71
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The VSC has ended. Hamilton, having stopped under the VSC, is now in seventh behind the Red Bull of Hadjar.
Lap 26 of 71
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One lap later, with the virtual safety car still deployed, Ferrari bring Hamilton in and he has put on a used set of softs. No-one else will be able to pit as the pit lane is temporarily closed.
Lap 25 of 71
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Sainz has pulled over on the pit straight and the yellow flags are waving. Mercedes bring Antonelli in but have they done that too soon? As he is leaving the pits, the virtual safety car is deployed. If Mercedes had left that another lap, Antonelli could have massively benefitted from this virtual safety car. That feels like a massive missed opportunity by Antonelli and Mercedes. Surely that is the exact reason why Mercedes kept him out there.
Ferrari frantically told Hamilton to pit but it was too late.
Lap 22 of 71
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McLaren now bring Norris in and he comes back out in eighth on a set of hards.
Meanwhile, Verstappen is right up behind Hamilton once more and gets the move done up the inside of turn three. However, as was the case earlier Hamilton then regains the place on the run down to turn four. Verstappen has not given up and makes a bold move up the inside of turn six. They come so close to coming together but avoid contact.
Lap 20 of 71
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Our race leader Russell is brought in for a stop to put on the hards. He emerges only a few seconds clear of Hamilton, who has closed the gap to Russell by a few seconds by stopping earlier.
McLaren have brought in Piastri for his first stop. The team tell Norris to extend but he replies by saying that he does not have much pace.
Lap 19 of 71
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Red Bull have decided that now is the time to bring Verstappen in. The Dutchman swaps the mediums for a set of hards. Where does he come back out? Behind Hamilton by a couple of seconds but on fresher tyres.
Lap 18 of 71
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We were speaking about this possibly being a three-stop race and Ferrari may have committed to that. However, Russell tells his team that a one-stop strategy could work. That would be a massive surprise. Russell is five seconds clear out in front of Verstappen, who has Antonelli just under two seconds behind him.
Lap 16 of 71
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Red Bull have decided not to bring in Verstappen quite yet and the Dutchman then has a bit of a moment at turn four, locking up and going deep, only just avoiding the gravel on the exit.
Lap 14 of 71
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Ferrari have now brought in both cars for stops as Leclerc is brought in. Are Ferrari committing to three stops for both cars?
Lap 13 of 71
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Ferrari have decided to bring Hamilton in for a fairly early stop. Will that be a three-stop strategy for Hamilton? Were Ferrari pre-empting a stop from Red Bull? Hamilton goes onto the hards.
Lap 11 of 71
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Verstappen goes for a bold move up the inside of turn three and manages to get the move done on Hamilton. The move did not really appear to be on as Verstappen was a fair way back but the Dutchman executes the move. However, Hamilton then regains second place before we get to turn four. Verstappen is then very close to getting Hamilton again around the outside of turn six but the latter holds off the former, whose tyres did dip into the gravel.
Lap 10 of 71
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Verstappen has closed up to the back of Hamilton and the four-time world champion has overtake mode on the seven-time world champion. Hamilton has a moment out of the final turn so could he be vulnerable on the next lap? Hamilton is safe for the time being but has dropped three seconds behind leader Russell.
Lap 7 of 71
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Antonelli will feel like he is getting stuck behind Leclerc and is looking to take fourth place from the Ferrari man. Antonelli thinks about moves at turn four and turn five but thinks better of it. However, Leclerc uses too much battery to defend and is a sitting duck before turn nine, which allows Antonelli to get the move done. That is not a conventional overtaking spot but shows how important energy use is.
Lap 5 of 71
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We are only a matter of laps into the race but both Cadillacs are already out as Perez pits to retire the car.
Lap 3 of 71
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We appear to have our first retirement as Bottas has pulled in with his brakes on fire.
Lawson is now reporting over team radio about a fire in his car but he continues for now.
Lap 2 of 71
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Antonelli must already be at risk of track limits. He went off the track twice on the first lap and then goes too deep up the inside of Leclerc at turn one. Antonelli therefore has to give the place back to Leclerc and then gets passed by Verstappen.
On the run down to turn four, Verstappen is then eyeing up Leclerc and, on the exit of that turn and the run to turn five the Dutchman gets the move done on Leclerc to take third.
Just behind this three-way tussle, the McLarens are jostling for position.
Lap 1 of 71
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Russell gets away well enough and dives to the inside line to cover off Leclerc. Antonelli runs wide at turn one and the does the same at turn three.
Then, into turn four, Hamilton gets the move done on his teammate Leclerc. No crashes on the first lap as everyone manages to keep it clean.
Formation lap
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Interestingly, Max Verstappen is the only one of the big hitters to have both two new mediums and two new hards.
The top 11 are all starting on the medium tyre. The only two drivers on the grid not on the mediums are Gabriel Bortoleto (12th) and Carlos Sainz (17th), who are on the soft tyre.
Could we see a very early safety car? My guess is there is a very strong chance, either into turn one, three or four.
A reminder of the starting top ten
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- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
Problem fixed?
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Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz has reported from the grid that McLaren have fixed Lando Norris’ issue with the long brake pedal. Norris has been speaking ahead of the race:
“It is our goal to fight for a podium. It would be a nice goal to achieve. We have to beat quicker cars, so it means we need better driving and better strategy. We will see what we can do.”
Meanwhile this is what Zak Brown had to say on upcoming upgrades:
“We have some good upgrades coming, so does everyone else in the sport. The rear wing, that fun little thing, will be here shortly. We brought it this weekend but were not ready to run it. We are a little bit behind with how others have upgraded their car but that is the pace of Formula 1.”
George Russell speaking ahead of starting in pole
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“Feeling really good going into the race today. It is really hot. I think there is going to be a big fight from a number of cars around us. The Ferraris were super fast last race, the McLarens were looking strong, Max [Verstappen] was also looking strong, so we are going to have to keep pushing.”
Memories of a year ago
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Last year’s Austrian Grand Prix was won by Lando Norris from pole. At turn three on the opening lap, Kimi Antonelli ended up out of control up the inside and crashed into Max Verstappen, with both drivers out of the race just a few corners into the first lap. Antonelli starts fourth today with Verstappen one place further back. Can you imagine if we see a repeat of that incident in just over 10 minutes’ time?
On the grid
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Lando Norris complained about a long brake pedal on his reconnaissance laps and his mechanics are working on the front of the car on the grid. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown does not seem too concerned about it speaking to Sky Sports on the grid. Brown is also asked about the rumours linking Max Verstappen with a move to McLaren:
“I would be very surprised if Lando or Oscar went elsewhere. They are very happy, we have contracts but even contracts aside, we are very happy with them. If for some strange reason someone slipped on a banana peel getting out of the tub, then yeah of course, Max is a four time world champion.”
Is it really that hot Tom?
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Mind you, (95-year-old) Bernie Ecclestone is also here and wearing a bomber jacket so I don’t know what I am complaining about.
Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad, who starts tenth
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“I am confident we have the car [to get some points]. It is true that we have been less competitive in the previous events in the race than in qualifying but I think the guys have done a good job and given us a strong package, so I am looking forward to the race today.
“Points are available and I am going to get stuck in. It will not be easy on the tyre-degradation side. I do not think it will be a three-strop strategy, it could be three if there is a Safety Car at a nice time. I think it will be two stops but strategy will be important. Even now in the heat, the brakes, the power unit; these are temperatures these engines have not run in before so there could be problems. There are lots of things to be on top of but it should be fun.”
Our man on the ground
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Waiting for the cars and to arrive on the grid. Track temp is 53.3C I’ve just been told. Minimal shade. Where’s my umbrella carrier?
Strategy decisions
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With the degradation of the tyres in these very hot conditions in Spielberg, what strategy will the teams go with? Are we in for a three-stop race or just two stops? Here is what Sky Sports’ Bernie Collins has had to say:
“We expect a two-stop strategy with teams mainly on the medium and hard tyres, depending if they have two hards or two mediums left. The one to look out for is Max Verstappen. He has two sets of mediums and two sets of hards, so he is most likely to make that three-stop work. If any of the others start on the soft, that might be an indication they are also on a three-stop strategy.”
Top five in constructors’ standings
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- Mercedes- 262 points
- Ferrari- 190 points
- McLaren- 141 points
- Red Bull- 89 points
- Alpine- 57 points
Max Verstappen speaking during the drivers’ parade
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“I am going to try my best to give my fans the best result possible. I hope that we can fight with the people around us. We have to get the car ready for the race, and then we will just focus on that. We will try to get the most out of the car. It is very hot out there, so the tyres will not be easy to manage, but we will see what we can do in terms of strategy.”
Sky Sports’ Karun Chandhok on George Russell
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“I was really impressed. It was a qualifying session where he looked behind Kimi Antonelli and he said himself afterwards that he wasn’t really there until the final run.
“He said the car felt amazing on the final lap but he had to deliver it and despite the fact he slowed down after Max Verstappen’s crash, he did. He delivered at a crucial stage in the world championship because he has two cars between himself and the championship leader in Antonelli.”
Top five in drivers’ standings
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- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)- 156 points
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)- 115 points
- George Russell (Mercedes)- 106 points
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)- 75 points
- Lando Norris (McLaren)- 73 points
This feels like a big opportunity for Russell this afternoon; he enters this race 50 points down on his teammate but could make a significant dent into that today with a win
Can Russell make inroads into Antonelli’s championship lead?
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George Russell will start on pole for today’s Austrian Grand Prix after a dramatic end to yesterday’s qualifying session. Late on in Q3 during the final runs, Charles Leclerc appeared to have sealed pole position before Max Verstappen crashed out at the penultimate corner. Moments after Verstappen crashed, Russell then set the fastest lap in Q3, which created uncertainty as to whether Russell had slowed or not having been behind Verstappen on the track. Russell approached the scene of the crash and slowed under single-waved yellow flags but was able to continue and finish his lap, snatching pole position at the death.
“I feel incredible,” Russell said after qualifying. “It was an amazing lap. I saw the yellow, I had a big lift into the corner, went in five tenths up and came out two and a half tenths up. It was a single yellow and should be okay. Everything felt sweet and I am really proud of the job we all did.”
Russell will be joined on the front row by Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton third and Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli in fourth. Antonelli misunderstood the yellow-flag situation and aborted his final flying lap, thus ending any hope he had of taking pole position. The championship leader admitted afterwards the mistake he made.
“I do not know why, but I thought it was a double yellow, so I aborted completely and missed the front row,” Antonelli said. “I should not have done that. That was my mistake. It would have been very close with George [Russell]. There was only a tenth between us. He would have been a little bit ahead, but still I would have been front row, so a shame for that. We will try to do our best. For sure, it is not going to be easy, especially with tyres. There’s a lot to play for. Degradation is going to be high and we’ll try to do our best.”
Verstappen will start from fifth following his crash in the closing stages of qualifying.
“In that lap, on turn six, there was a big moment on entry,” Verstappen said. “It is a bit weird as I have not had something like that all weekend. Then, in turn nine, it was immediately gone. Not a small correction but full-lock off. That is a bit odd, so we will have look. It is a shame as realistically we could have been P3. But getting off the line is hard for us so even P3 we might drop to P5. There are still some things we want to understand from the package, some that worked well and some not so well, and work from there.”
Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad round out the top ten. The race gets under way from 2pm BST.