Today’s race took place under the scorching Spielberg sun, with soaring temperatures creating challenging conditions for both the drivers and their tyres. George Russell drove a brilliant race under the Spielberg sun and immense pressure. He threw everything into the fight and delivered a determined performance to claim a hard-earned victory in Austria.
Lights Out
George Russell made a strong start from pole and held the lead into Turn 1. Behind him, teammate Kimi Antonelli ran wide twice, leaving him vulnerable.
Further back, Lewis Hamilton launched an attack on Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver ran wide through the sequence, allowing Hamilton to complete the move into Turn 5.
Russell quickly opened a six-tenth advantage over Hamilton at the front, while Max Verstappen, desperate for a win climbed into third to the delight of the home crowd.
Meanwhile, both Cadillac drivers races came to an early end after they both returned to the pit lane with both the cars on fire. They were not the only ones with overheating issues, by lap 4 Liam Lawson reported over the team radio his own issue with the fire. He however, remained out on track.
Early Overtakes And Battles
Race Control noted Antonelli for leaving the track and gaining an advantage but decided that no further investigation was necessary. As a result, the Italian remained free to continue his recovery after a difficult opening few laps.
Antonelli spent several laps hounding Leclerc, remaining glued to the Ferrari driver’s rear wing. Eventually, he made the move stick, sliding past Leclerc into Turn 9 to claim fourth place. The Ferrari driver appeared to have used the majority of his battery while defending, leaving him unable to respond.
Meanwhile, Hamilton lost valuable time at the front after running into trouble, allowing Verstappen to close right onto the rear of the Ferrari and pile on the pressure in the battle for second.
Verstappen VS. Hamilton
Red Bull initially considered an early pit stop to undercut Hamilton, but Verstappen instead opted to attack on track. The Dutchman briefly completed the pass, only to out-brake himself, allowing Hamilton to immediately reclaim second place.
The battle continued through Turns 6 and 7 as the pair ran side by side. Hamilton forced Verstappen to the edge of the circuit, with the Red Bull driver dipping a wheel into the gravel before conceding the position.
Hamilton retained second place, although Verstappen reported over the radio that the Ferrari driver had moved under braking during their battle. Nevertheless, the fight was far from over, with both drivers needing to cool their tyres before preparing for another attack.
Meanwhile, Russell extended his advantage to six seconds at the front.
Antonelli Leads The Race
With his tyres now up to temperature, Antonelli began to find his rhythm and reduced the gap to Verstappen to just 1.6 seconds. As the pit stop phase began to unfold, Antonelli inherited the race lead while the frontrunners peeled into the pits.
Soon enough the battles started up once more. The fight between Verstappen and Hamilton reignited as the Red Bull driver passed Hamilton into Turn 3. However, Hamilton immediately fought back, leaving the pair side by side once again in another thrilling exchange.
This time, Verstappen made the move stick. The Dutchman completed the overtake into Turn 6 to reclaim second place, although with plenty of laps remaining, the fight was far from over.
Bad Timing For Antonelli
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed after Carlos Sainz stopped on the start-finish straight, dramatically changing the complexion of the race.
Antonelli had already entered the pits just before it was called. What initially looked like perfect timing quickly turned into a nightmare for the Mercedes driver. As a result, Antonelli lost the equivalent of a full pit stop and dropped to fifth place.
Verstappen Closes In as the Battle Intensifies
As the race settled following the Virtual Safety Car period, Russell re-established himself at the front of the field. However, his lead came under increasing pressure from Verstappen, who had climbed into second place and began steadily reducing the gap, taking chunks of time out of Russell’s advantage with every lap.
Russell unexpectedly lost seven tenths through the middle sector, allowing Verstappen to slash the gap to just 2.3 seconds. Suddenly, the Red Bull driver had the race leader firmly in sight, setting up a tense battle for victory.
Further back, Leclerc came under heavy pressure from Oscar Piastri. The McLaren driver forced his way through into Turn 3, with the pair making slight contact as they banged wheels. Moments later, Hamilton also capitalised on Leclerc’s loss of momentum, completing the overtake to move ahead of his Ferrari teammate.
The Gap Closes
As the race progressed and Verstappen continued to close the gap, the pressure on Russell began to show. The Mercedes driver ran wide before locking up, allowing Verstappen to close right onto his rear wing and pile the pressure on in the fight for the lead.
Rather than fighting for the lead on track, Verstappen inherited the race lead when Russell peeled into the pits for his second stop, handing the Dutchman clear air at the front.
Verstappen extended his advantage to 4.4 seconds over Antonelli, while Russell, having already made his second stop, sat 16.5 seconds behind the race leader.
Over the team radio, George Russell highlighted the strategic dilemma Mercedes were facing, warning:
“If Kimi keeps extending, Max will think about extending and put us at risk.”
However, Russell’s concerns were short-lived as Verstappen responded by making his second pit stop soon after. The Dutchman switched onto the C3 hard tyres before rejoining in third place.
As a result, Antonelli briefly inherited the race lead, while Russell held an advantage of around 10 seconds over Verstappen.
The Final Laps
Antonelli’s tyres were only two laps fresher than Verstappen’s, and although the Mercedes driver trimmed a few tenths from the gap, he was unable to close in quickly enough to mount a serious challenge for second place.
Further back, Hadjar and Leclerc treated the fans to an entertaining battle for sixth. In the end, the Racing Bulls driver came out on top, holding off the Ferrari to secure the position.
Leclerc’s struggles continued as Norris became the next driver to overtake the Ferrari. The McLaren driver completed the move with ease, leaving Leclerc increasingly vulnerable in the closing stages.
Verstappen Closes The Gap Again
Meanwhile, Russell lost valuable time while working his way past Lindblad, allowing Verstappen to enjoy a clear stretch of track. With clean air ahead, the Dutchman seized the opportunity to push hard and continue his pursuit of the Mercedes driver.
Antonelli continued to push in an attempt to join the fight at the front, and reduced the gap to Verstappen to 3.9 seconds.
As the battle entered its final phase, Verstappen found even more time. The Dutchman benefitted from catching traffic at the perfect moment, using the slipstream from the lapped cars to his advantage, while Russell encountered the same traffic at a far less favourable point on the circuit. As a result, Verstappen significantly reduced the gap once again.
Final Lap
Antonelli piled the pressure on Verstappen in the closing laps but could not get close enough to launch an attack into Turn 1. He drew even nearer through Turn 3, yet the Red Bull driver remained out of reach. Antonelli threw everything he had at Verstappen in the closing laps, finishing glued to the rear wing of the Red Bull. However, despite crossing the line just three tenths behind, the Italian had to settle for third place after an impressive late charge.
George Russell crossed the line to claim victory in Austria, securing his first Grand Prix win since triumphing in Australia back in March. The Mercedes driver delivered a composed and commanding drive.