George Russell lastly claimed his second victory of the 2026 System 1 marketing campaign by successful the Austrian Grand Prix from pole forward of Max Verstappen.
The Mercedes driver crossed the road 1.6 seconds away from the Crimson Bull world champion with Russell’s team-mate and title rival Kimi Antonelli finishing the rostrum.
This has given Russell his first win for the reason that Melbourne opener after an underwhelming begin to 2026, as Antonelli ha taken 5 victories throughout that point to assert the championship lead.
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However the 19-year-old’s retirement in Barcelona final outing, which was received by Lewis Hamilton, gave Russell the proper alternative to claw again his deficit after ending second in Spain.
The 28-year-old adopted that up by snatching pole from Charles Leclerc on the Crimson Bull Ring after Verstappen’s late crash, with Hamilton and Antonelli behind on the second row.
All 4 began on the medium rubber and it was a frantic opening lap that noticed Russell maintain agency, Antonelli go broad at Turns 1 and three, earlier than Hamilton overtook Ferrari team-mate Leclerc at Flip 5.
That put the Monegasque instantly beneath stress from Antonelli, who’d nonetheless managed to maintain fourth, and the championship chief launched his assault at Flip 1 on the second lap.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photograph by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
Though he briefly received forward, he went off within the course of very like lap one, so was compelled handy third again heading into Flip 3 however this opened the door for fifth-placed Verstappen.
The Crimson Bull driver subsequently wasted no time in making progress by overtaking Antonelli at Flip 5, earlier than passing Leclerc the next nook, and subsequently closing in on Hamilton.
This arrange an aggressive battle between the previous title rivals with Verstappen lunging down the within of Flip 3 on lap 11, earlier than Hamilton fought again at Flip 5 and accomplished his transfer the next nook.
It put Verstappen onto the gravel on the exit, prompting complaints from the four-time world champion, earlier than the battle resumed after the primary pit window the place drivers all stored place.
On this event, nevertheless, Verstappen lastly took second from Hamilton by once more taking place the within of the Flip 3 hairpin on lap 22, earlier than the Ferrari driver reclaimed place at Flip 5.
However having learnt from the earlier event the place he was on the skin into Flip 6, this time Verstappen moved down the within of that nook to lastly finish the wheel-to-wheel battle.
It was solely three laps later that Hamilton made his second pitstop although, transferring from hards to softs, after Carlos Sainz all of the sudden misplaced energy and stopped subsequent to the pit wall to trigger a VSC.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photograph by: Steven Tee / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
But Hamilton’s rivals stayed out – although Antonelli pitted seconds earlier than the VSC – and in clear air Verstappen started to shut on chief Russell whereas drivers squabbled behind.
On lap 30, for instance, Antonelli overtook Leclerc for third at Flip 5 earlier than the Ferrari driver dropped into sixth behind Oscar Piastri and Hamilton simply seven excursions later.
By this level Ferrari had resigned to combating within the mid-points positions, because the Mercedes pair and Verstappen had streaked clear come the second pit window.
It noticed Russell cease for hards once more on lap 44, simply as Verstappen had received inside two-seconds, however as an alternative of immediately reacting, Crimson Bull opted to maintain its Dutchman out for 5 further excursions.
That was in the end the fallacious resolution although as Verstappen left the pitlane 10s behind Russell, who’d benefitted from more energizing tyres throughout that window to all-but finish hopes of Crimson Bull victory.
The Austrian outfit was subsequently left ruing what might have been and regardless of the Dutchman closing the hole throughout the ultimate levels, Russell had accomplished sufficient to take victory.
However Antonelli wasn’t far behind Verstappen both, simply 0.3s, after late stress, whereas an extra 19.823s off the rostrum was fourth-placed Piastri with Hamilton finishing the highest 5.
Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Lando Norris accomplished late overtakes on Leclerc to take sixth and seventh, the Ferrari in eighth, whereas Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the highest 10.
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This leaves Antonelli high of the championship on 171 factors, 40 away from second-placed Russell, who has now moved forward of third-placed Hamilton with 125 factors.
F1 Austrian GP: Race outcome
All Stats
Images from Austrian GP – Sunday
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