George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix, which was marked by a collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris a few laps from the end. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) completed the podium.
Heatwave in Austria. We were bored for a long time at Spielberg by the domination of Max Verstappen but the end of the race was crazy. Lando Norris came back to put pressure on the three-time world champion and the two drivers clashed, giving victory to George Russell (Mercedes). His second in his career after Brazil in 2022. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) complete the podium.
Also read: Formula 1: George Russell wins in Austria after an eventful end to the race
Boredom for fifty rounds…
Ultra-favorite after the sprint and qualifying, Verstappen held his position for a long, long time in Spielberg. After a perfect start, the Dutchman quickly pulled away from Norris, the only driver capable of staying at a distance from the Red Bull (5-6 seconds). The start, rather calm, was fatal for Charles Leclerc, sixth on the grid, and hit by Piastri at the first corner. The Monegasque lost his front wing and his hopes there (4 stops and finally 11th). In front, therefore, Verstappen then led quietly even after the first stops. Not happy with his pace with the hard tires, the gluttonous Dutchman still extended his lead to eight seconds over Norris with thirty laps to go.
…then the madness
But everything was about to change at the time of the final stops. At the end of lap 51, Verstappen and Norris dove into the pits. The Dutchman then had a lead of more than six seconds but Red Bull missed the stop, a rarity in this world. Immobilized for more than six seconds, Verstappen lost big and came out with less than two seconds ahead of Norris. Hungry, the McLaren driver quickly came back and got back under the second, synonymous with DRS. Norris then launched several attacks but came up against Verstappen’s virile defenses. And on lap 64, the two made contact at turn 3. Result? Punctures for both which caused Norris to retire on arrival at the pits and propelled Verstappen to fifth place, after his stop. The Dutchman was then judged guilty of the incident and received a ten-second penalty, with no impact on his fifth place.
And during this drama at the forefront, George Russell had a smile. Third, 15 seconds behind at the time of contact, the Mercedes driver was propelled into the lead and headed towards victory, the second of his career. Behind, Piastri deposited Sainz to finish second in front of the Iberian. In a completely crazy end to the race. Finally, we note the tenth place of Pierre Gasly who finished for the fourth time in a row in the points. All these little people will meet next Sunday at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.
