George Russell picked up a surprise victory for Mercedes in the Austrian Grand Prix in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Max Verstappen had led for most of the race but struggled after a slow final stop, which brought him back within range of Lando Norris who duly turned the screws - only for the McLaren to end up making contact with the Red Bull.
With Norris out of the picture, his team mate Oscar Piastri recovered from P7 on the grid and a first lap clash with Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez to take second ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.
Despite storms and floods elsewhere in Austria, the weather over Spielberg remained sunny and dry albeit just a little cooler and much breezier than it had been for the Sprint on Saturday. The same drivers were on the front row again for the main race, Max Verstappen on pole accompanied by Lando Norris, with George Russell and Carlos Sainz poised on the row behind making it four different teams in the top four.
The smart money was on Verstappen to keep the lead into the first corner, and the Red Bull did just that when the lights went out. Norris was under more sustained pressure from Russell for second, while Lewis Hamilton swept around the Ferrari to take fourth from Sainz and immediately set his sights on attacking his Mercedes team mate. He got ahead the minute DRS was enabled on lap 3, but Russell fought back and retook the position.
The big loser at the start had been Charles Leclerc, who made contact with Oscar Piastri and damaged his front wing forcing him to pit for a replacement. The contact had left the Ferrari with floor damage, hampering his pace for the rest of the afternoon. Sergio Perez also had sidepod damage after being caught up in the periphery of the Piastri/Leclerc clash which left his pace compromised.
Hamilton was ordered to give fourth back to Sainz after being deemed to have gained an advantage running off track making his pass at the start. Hamilton was soon applying the pressure again, but found it impossible to find a gap this time. Behind them, Piastri made a nice move at turn 6 to pass the wounded Perez for sixth.
Scheduled pit stops began on lap 10, earlier than expected, but the top seven continued to plough on. Verstappen had no worries about getting mired in DRS trains, having already pulled five seconds clear of Norris at the front by lap 15, Russell a further four seconds back in third. Once in range of a two-stopper, Hamilton and Perez were the first of the leaders to pit on lap 21.
However the Mercedes slid outside the white line marking pit entry. Perez was happy to point this point over the Red Bull radio, and Hamilton was duly handed a five second penalty for which he apologised to the team. Fernando Alonso was also given a longer penalty for accidentally running into the back of Zhou Guanyu's Sauber.
Russell and Sainz came in next, then it was Verstappen and Norris. Piastri was briefly in the lead until his turn to pit on lap 26 which restored the order of the top seven. Verstappen's lead over Norris was up to seven seconds, there was no action over Verstappen being released into the path of the McLaren on pit lane, but Perez did get a penalty for speeding.
On track, Gasly was trying to pass Ocon for 12th only to be swept wide at turn 3, inches from mutually assured destruction. "Why did he just run me off the track?" Gasly shouted over the Alpine radio. Watching the incident in his rear view mirror, Alonso's comment was more succinct: 'Wow." The battle continued with an extended side-by-side battle on lap 41, which Gasly won shortly before the pair pitted,
The early stoppers were coming back in for second service. Hulkenberg and Magnussen came out behind Verstappen who was reporting that his hard tyres were "suddenly really bad" and resenting the pressure from lapped traffic. Russell was also struggling but he was able to wait until lap 46 to make his final stop, Sainz responding on lap 48.
Piastri was able to dash past Hamilton as Verstappen and Norris made synchronised stops on lap 51. A slow service for Verstappen slashed his lead to under two seconds even before he locked up on his outlap. Traffic was also affecting him, bringing Norris back within DRS range. "Oh my God!", said Verstappen, declaring "There's something wrong with the car, man," as he struggled for grip. Norris finally out-braked Verstappen down the inside on lap 59 but couldn't stop in time and ran wide, forcing him to immediately hand the place back before the stewards took action.
The battle raged with both drivers playing fast and loose with the rules and track limits, both continually pleading their cases to race control over the team radio. Inevitably it ended with contact in turn 3 on lap 64, instantly making Norris public enemy one with the Orange Army. The pair limped back to pit lane with punctures, leaving Russell to inherit the lead while Sainz was unable to fight off Piastri for second before the Virtual Safety Car was deployed for debris from the Verstappen/Norris clash.
The race resumed with four laps remaining, Russell able to control proceedings to win ahead of Piastri and Sainz, Hamilton finishing a long way back in fourth. Verstappen was fifth despite a ten second penalty for his clash with Norris, who had retired. Hulkenberg narrowly held on to sixth ahead of Perez, Magnussen, Ricciardo and Gasly leaving Ocon just outside the points this time, followed by Leclerc who was the last man left on the lead lap.
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The post Austrian GP: Russell wins after Verstappen/Norris drama appeared first on F1i.com.
