Mercedes’ George Russell took his second win of the season with victory from pole place on the Austrian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen recovered from a crash within the remaining a part of qualifying to complete second at Purple Bull’s dwelling race, with championship chief Kimi Antonelli in third.
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Russell’s win strikes him again as much as second within the drivers’ standings, 40 factors behind team-mate Antonelli.
BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson solutions your newest questions earlier than this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
I believe a pole place beneath a yellow flag units a harmful precedent, as a result of it is clear that any more, everybody will proceed to push onerous after a small decelerate, or else their lap can be cancelled. I might be curious to listen to your opinion – Lorenzo
George Russell’s pole place on the Austrian Grand Prix, the muse for his victory on Sunday, took place
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Based on the principles, Russell did nothing improper.
Marshals trackside initially waved a single yellow flag when Max Verstappen crashed at Flip 9.
Kimi Antonelli mis-read the sunshine board as a double yellow, and backed out of his lap – the proper response for what he regarded as the case. Below a double yellow, drivers need to “decelerate and be ready to cease”.
However beneath a single yellow, a driver doesn’t need to abandon their lap. They solely need to not set a quickest time within the related part of the monitor.
Russell complied with this, however the remainder of his lap was quick sufficient to place him on pole anyway.
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The priority right here is much less the specifics of those guidelines, however whether or not the proper flag was proven within the circumstances.
The reply to that needs to be no.
Verstappen crashed on the quickest nook on the monitor, which is taken at near 140mph.
Flip 9 is notoriously difficult, with its downhill entry, and an exit kerb that is simple to over-run.
Each Verstappen and Antonelli questioned the choice to point out solely a single yellow on the time, when Verstappen’s automotive was within the barrier at this nook as different drivers had been looking for to set what can be their quickest laps of the weekend.
Verstappen described it as “fairly loopy”.
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Antonelli mentioned: “There was a automotive within the wall in a quick nook. I do not know why it did not go double-yellow right away, as a result of it is a super-quick nook, and for those who go off on the identical time, it could find yourself very badly. That was a bit complicated.
“For certain it is one thing that must be reviewed, particularly when it occurs in a high-speed nook.
“If it is a slow-speed [corner], single yellow might be OK however quick corners needs to be double yellow right away.”
To underline the purpose, inside 20 seconds, race management upgraded the flag to a double yellow, however everybody had accomplished their laps by then.
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Simply what went improper with Ferrari in Austria, having certified in second and third locations however then ending a distant fifth and eighth within the race, after successful in Spain? – Andrew
Lewis Hamilton described the Austrian Grand Prix as “a actuality examine” for Ferrari, after he and Charles Leclerc limped to fifth and eighth locations the race after the seven-time champion’s spectacular victory in Barcelona.
Each Ferraris merely lacked tempo and grip in Austria, and so they had been the one prime staff to do a three-stop technique.
The very first thing to level out is that their grid positions weren’t consultant. They ended up second and third solely as a result of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli didn’t full their remaining laps. Had they, the Ferraris would possible have been fourth and fifth.
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Hamilton revealed that there had been some disagreement between him and the staff over technique earlier than the race.
“This morning within the technique assembly they mentioned it is a two-stop, three-stop is 4 seconds slower,” he mentioned. “And final evening and this morning they gave us that data.
“However I used to be useless set it was a 3 for me. I believed the (tyre) deg was going to be tremendous excessive. Significantly because the monitor temperature was the best we have had it in an extended, very long time. It was a mid-50s to 60-degree monitor temperature. So I believed the deg was going to be large for us.
“So I needed to start out on the tender, however the staff had been nervous. And so we ended up, they pushed for us to start out on the medium, which finally I believe was sub-optimum.
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“I believe we most likely would have been across the identical place. Perhaps, simply perhaps I might have been in a position to cross out on the tender. Perhaps I might have gotten fourth.”
Group boss Frederic Vasseur mentioned he thought Hamilton had been suckered into making an attempt to stick with the Mercedes early within the race and paid the worth.
“Wanting again, we had been most likely too targeted on Mercedes,” Vasseur mentioned. “We pushed too onerous within the opening laps with each automobiles after which maybe reacted too aggressively with the technique, making an attempt to stick with them when, realistically, that wasn’t our race.”
Within the context of the season, it is Barcelona that appears the anomaly, not Austria, not withstanding the chassis improve launched in Spain and the engine enhance in Austria.
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Hamilton mentioned: “We do not know why we had been so aggressive on Sunday in Barcelona. That is a really sturdy monitor for me. I selected a technique that I believed, from expertise, I knew that might work. With the deg that we had, it was like 2021.
“However then at the moment, I believe we had been hit extra with actuality, which is that we nonetheless do have a superb automotive, however we’re down in comparison with Mercedes, simply in our tempo.
“They simply are faster. We nonetheless need to hold growing. It doesn’t suggest we will not shut that hole.
“That one win doesn’t suggest we will be beating them on a regular basis. I believe it is the alternative. We have a whole lot of work to do. We nonetheless need to proceed so as to add efficiency to the automotive, notably in energy, and that is the place we will need to hold working at.”
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With the driving force market ‘foolish season’ already in full swing, which drivers do you suppose could be switching groups for 2027? – Josh
Considered one of two issues goes to occur within the driver market among the many prime groups this 12 months. Both virtually nothing in any respect, or chaos.
The figuring out issue between these two extremes is Max Verstappen. If he needs to go away Purple Bull, and might discover someplace to go, then fairly just a few drivers will most likely find yourself shifting. If he does not, little will change.
On the face of it, a lot of the prime groups have two drivers beneath contract.
Verstappen is contracted to Purple Bull till the top of 2028, however has a efficiency clause in his deal that the staff is not going to fulfill, and which implies he’s theoretically free if he needs to be.
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However each Ferrari and McLaren drivers are beneath contract past the top of this season, and George Russell insists he’s “100%” sure to remain at Mercedes, the place Kimi Antonelli’s future is safe.
Verstappen, although, is Verstappen, and contractual blocks in F1 can at all times be resolved if the need is there.
There’s the query of Fernando Alonso’s future, and whether or not he decides to remain or depart F1, however Aston Martin usually are not an particularly attractive choice within the context of this season, the presence of Adrian Newey however.
Do Williams run the danger of dropping one or each drivers given how far they’ve regressed since final 12 months? – Martin
Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon can be forgiven in the event that they had been fairly sad at Williams proper now, though they’ve been very measured of their public feedback this 12 months to this point.
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Each had been offered a imaginative and prescient of the staff that has merely not come to cross.
Group principal James Vowles had been saying since he joined Williams initially of 2023 that every one the staff’s effort and focus was going into making 2026 the 12 months they took a significant step in direction of their purpose of successful races once more.
As an alternative, after ending fifth final 12 months – one thing of a shock to the staff, who made no bones about the truth that they didn’t commit that many assets to 2025 due to their deal with this season – they’ve slumped in competitiveness this 12 months.
Williams lie eighth within the constructors’ championship, however they’re realistically solely not ninth due to Audi’s poor reliability file.
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On pure tempo, the Williams is the ninth quickest automotive – 2.1 seconds off the tempo, and practically 0.4secs slower than the following automotive, the Haas.
Solely Aston Martin’s woeful 12 months is saving Williams’ blushes proper now.
The automotive missed the primary check, began the season greater than 20kg obese and lacks downforce in medium and high-speed corners.
Vowles has talked concerning the complexity of this 12 months’s automotive testing the manufacturing facility past its boundaries.
Why wasn’t the manufacturing facility prepared for that three years into his management? The argument is that the success of final 12 months satisfied Williams they may push their construct begin date later to boost improvement, solely to seek out that weaknesses beforehand unseen had been uncovered.
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Why is the automotive missing a lot efficiency? Aside from the load, there was no reply to that.
Vowles says there are developments coming within the subsequent couple of races, and extra earlier than and after the August break. He needs individuals to guage the staff on the finish of the season, not a 3rd of the way in which into it.
Nonetheless, in that context, Sainz and Albon can be forgiven for their choices.
Each are free on the finish of the season in the event that they need to be, however the place would they go?
If no seats open up at a prime staff, is it value switching to a different midfield staff? Becoming a member of Alpine, even when a seat is on the market? Go to Audi, which Sainz rejected on the finish of 2024 in favour of Williams – a call that appeared sensible final season; much less so this?
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Their choices are restricted, so they could find yourself staying the place they’re. Not as a result of they’re particularly impressed by the place Williams are, even when the staff insist progress is being made throughout the board, however as a result of their choices elsewhere usually are not that attractive.
