Spielberg winner George Russell: “A real psychological test”

George Russell was the first to cross the finish line at the Red Bull Ring. The Mercedes star was delighted after his second Grand Prix win of the season and the seventh Grand Prix triumph of his Formula 1 career: “It’s been a while since I was last on the top step of the podium, and I’ll certainly be celebrating this evening with my team. They’ve worked hard to get me back on the winning track. Max and Red Bull Racing were incredibly fast this weekend – congratulations to them – and a big thank you to the fans. It was pretty hot out there, so I’m looking forward to a drink first of all.”

“I had to push to the limit on every lap, and inevitably you make one or two small mistakes. I knew how fast the lads behind me were – Kimi’s been incredibly fast all year – so I checked the timing screen every time I drove past. We came in for the pit stop early; it was a long stint, but the team managed it perfectly,” explained the visibly exhausted Briton.

“Tough races are a real psychological test of your mental strength, and this weekend was really important for me because it reminded me that I can do it. I was quick both on a single lap and in race conditions, and that on a track that doesn’t suit my style perfectly. I’m now looking forward to Silverstone next week, where I’ll be racing in front of my home fans,” added Russell.

How the race unfolded:

As expected, the Formula 1 stars were greeted by sweltering temperatures on race day in Spielberg. The thermometer read 34.6 degrees Celsius outside and 49.2 degrees on the track as the drivers lined up for the eighth Grand Prix of the season. Not everyone got off to a good start, and so the order changed as early as the first lap.

Pole-sitter George Russell managed to defend the lead, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Esteban Ocon, Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hülkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Sergio Pérez, Franco Colapinto, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas.

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For the latter, the race was over quickly; he headed for the pits with his right front brake on fire and was forced to retire. The same fate befell his team-mate Sergio Pérez, who had to head for the pits on lap 5.

A thrilling duel between Verstappen and Hamilton

The rest continued to battle it out, and spectators in the sold-out stands at the Red Bull Ring were treated to many thrilling moments. For instance, before Pérez’s retirement, Lawson also complained of smoke in the cockpit, but he was able to carry on. On lap 7, Antonelli thrilled the spectators with his overtaking manoeuvre on Leclerc, which moved him up to fourth place, and on lap 11, Verstappen overtook Hamilton after a fierce battle, briefly moving into second place before the seven-time champion successfully fought back.

Shortly afterwards, Hamilton pulled into the pits and rejoined the track in eleventh position on hard tyres. On lap 14, his team-mate Leclerc followed suit. Verstappen pulled into the pits on lap 18, with Hadjar and Lindblad doing the same a lap later. Russell and Piastri picked up fresh tyres on lap 20, and soon almost everyone had changed to new tyres. Only Bearman, Alonso and Stroll held off on changing for the time being.

On lap 22, Verstappen managed to get past Hamilton at the third corner and this time he stayed in front. His rivals, however, struggled far more. Norris went off the track, whilst Antonelli complained of a long brake pedal.

Strong finish at the Red Bull Ring

Three laps later, the field was slowed down by the virtual safety car after Sainz parked his Williams on the start-finish straight. Even before race control had reacted, Antonelli headed for the pits, dropping him back to fourth place behind Leclerc. When the race was restarted, the Monegasque driver was overtaken by Antonelli in the fourth corner of lap 30, leaving the championship leader in third place. Further back, Hamilton secured sixth place in the sixth corner of the same lap by overtaking Hadjar.

Verstappen subsequently closed in on Russell, who braked too late in the third corner on lap 35, an incident with far-reaching consequences. This allowed Verstappen to close the gap, and when Russell pitted on lap 44, the Red Bull Racing star took the lead. He had to relinquish the lead again on lap 50 when he pulled into the pits. This saw him drop behind Antonelli and Russell, though he had fresher tyres.

On lap 52, it was Antonelli’s turn to pit, meaning Russell was back in the lead. The order at that point was: Russell ahead of Verstappen, Antonelli, Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Hadjar, Norris, Lawson, Lindblad, Bortoleto, Gasly, Hülkenberg, Bearman, Ocon, Colapinto, Albon and Alonso. Stroll, the fourth retirement of the race, had pulled his Aston Martin into the pits on lap 47. After Antonelli had pitted, another brief safety car period was called because Albon had knocked down the bollard at the third corner. This was quickly cleared from the track by the marshals, so the race resumed just as quickly.

On lap 59, Norris snatched seventh place from Leclerc, who then turned into the pits. At the front, things got exciting once again towards the end, as Verstappen closed in on Russell in quick succession whilst Antonelli was closing in from behind him. In the end, Russell held on to victory and Verstappen secured second place as they crossed the finish line. Championship leader Antonelli had to settle for third place, whilst Piastri, Hamilton, Hadjar, Norris, Leclerc, Lawson and Lindblad secured the remaining top-10 positions. Bortoleto, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Bearman, Colapinto, Ocon, Albon and Alonso also saw the chequered flag further down the order, but came away empty-handed.