Timo Glock: “Verstappen happy again, Hamilton gives Leclerc food for thought”

Following an extremely entertaining Austrian Grand Prix, there is plenty to take stock of. German driver Timo Glock followed the action in Styria for our colleagues at Sky and talks about the different trends among the Formula 1 drivers.

Glock praises Grand Prix winner George Russell: “The Mercedes driver did very well. He controlled the race, opened up a gap right from the start and was therefore able to start conserving his tyres relatively early on. Mentally, it’s important for him that he’s back at the top and was able to beat Antonelli convincingly. He really did well.”

Another key focus in Austria: the significant progress made by Red Bull Racing. Glock acknowledges: “Things are definitely heading in the right direction and there’s more to come. First of all, we need to analyse the weekend and understand how all the new parts worked in detail.”

“Max’s strong performance gives the team hope. You could see the broad grin on Verstappen’s face; he’s enjoying racing again, enjoying fighting for victories and putting Mercedes under pressure. They’re not quite on Mercedes’ heels yet, but they’ve got significantly closer.”

Ferrari were not contenders for victory at Spielberg: Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, Charles Leclerc eighth. Glock puts it into perspective: “So, another defeat for Charles against Lewis – that gives him food for thought, and he’s trying to understand why that is. The Monegasque driver said in Austria that he lacks that final bit of confidence in the car and that the touch of aggression he usually manages to muster in Q3 isn’t working anymore. When a race like this comes along and his team-mate takes points off him again, it’s a real headache.”

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Budapest: Das Rennen Re-Live

FIA Formula One World Championship

26.07.2026 - 17:15

Thanks to his victory, George Russell is now back in second place in the World Championship behind Kimi Antonelli; the Italian has 171 points, the Briton 131. Lewis Hamilton follows behind with 125.

Commenting on the Hamilton versus Antonelli duel, Timo Glock says: “Lewis Hamilton has incredible experience. You have to take your hat off to the way he’s fought his way back from that slump. On the other hand, with Kimi Antonelli you have a young man who brings a certain ease to the table – he gets into the car and is spot on straight away. That’s outstanding for someone who’s only 19. The question for me is whether he can maintain that level throughout the year.”