Verstappen and Norris fighters: Russell benefits

George Russell has surprisingly won the Austrian Grand Prix. The 26-year-old Mercedes driver benefited from the overly risky driving style of three-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen in Spielberg on Sunday.

June 30, 2024

From: cst/dpa/apa

In a tough duel, the Dutchman in the Red Bull caused a slight collision with Lando Norris in the McLaren in the fight for first place. Both had to pit again, and Russell's path to his second Grand Prix victory was clear. He had celebrated his first in Brazil in 2022. Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren came second in Spielberg, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari. Verstappen managed to save himself in fifth place and remains the clear world championship leader.

In midsummer temperatures of over 30 degrees, Verstappen defended his lead at the start and easily pulled away in the first few laps. Things went particularly badly for Ferrari star Charles Leclerc. The winner of the Monaco Grand Prix had to pit after contact with Piastri after the first lap and have his front wing changed. The 26-year-old fell back to the back of the field and struggled to catch up, while second-placed Norris was unable to get significantly closer to Verstappen.

Tires and pit mistakes bring Norris closer

The fans, thousands of whom travelled from the Netherlands, were treated to an exciting race at the front, something they hadn't seen for a long time. Only Norris was able to keep up somewhat, but was still around six seconds behind after 20 of 71 laps. Even 30 laps later, the picture hadn't changed - but then things got chaotic.

With 20 laps to go, Verstappen complained on the radio that his tires had worn down badly. His team then made a mistake in the pits and it took a long 6,5 seconds before he could drive off again. Suddenly Norris was only 1,3 seconds behind and was even able to overtake briefly. After the maneuver on lap 59, however, Verstappen immediately regained the lead. They continued to race hard against each other - too hard. On lap 64, the two friends had a serious collision after which they lost their positions at the front.

Norris then had to retire from the race. Verstappen, on the other hand, managed to make it to the pits and was able to continue, but he received a time penalty for the crash. In the turbulent final phase, Russell took the lead ahead of Piastri and Sainz. Verstappen did everything he could to achieve a better result, but only managed fifth place.