George Russell claimed a hard-fought victory at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, starting from pole to narrow the gap to teammate Kimi Antonelli in the Formula 1 drivers' championship to 40 points.
Max Verstappen finished second, 1.6 seconds behind the winner, after a qualifying glitch forced him to start fifth at Red Bull's home track. Antonelli took third, just 0.3 seconds adrift after a gripping dash to the line in Spielberg.
The win is Russell's second of the season after he triumphed at the opener in Australia. It was also his seventh career victory and Mercedes' seventh in the last eight races.
In the drivers' standings, Antonelli leads with 171 points, Russell has 131. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who finished fifth after running second and trading paint with Verstappen, dropped to third with 125 points. In the constructors' championship, Mercedes has 302 points, Ferrari 204.
“It's incredible to be back on top. It's been a while, and I will definitely enjoy tonight,” Russell said. He heads into next weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone full of confidence.
Russell revealed over team radio that his drinking system broke during the race, the first of the season declared an “extreme heat hazard.” “It's a lovely time for it to break—I am quite thirsty,” he said.
Oscar Piastri finished fourth for McLaren, ahead of Hamilton. Isack Hadjar was sixth for Red Bull. Defending champion Lando Norris, who won last year's race in Austria, placed seventh. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was eighth. The Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
“I had to push every single lap, and when you are on the limit, you will inevitably have a slight mistake or two,” Russell said. “I know how fast the guys behind are. Kimi has been incredibly fast all season, so I was watching the time sheets every lap.”
