Following an exciting late accident involving series leader Max Verstappen and his title contender Lando Norris, George Russell gleamed with satisfaction on Sunday after winning the thrilling Austrian Grand Prix. Mercedes had not won a race since March, and this was the British driver’s second career triumph. It also confirmed Mercedes’s improving form in recent races. However, the 64th lap incident that ended Verstappen’s and Norris’s campaigns and left the Dutchman defending his reputation overshadowed his victory.
The three-time champion of Red Bull was found to have swerved to the left to collide with Norris’s McLaren, resulting in punctures to both vehicles. Despite being given a 10-second penalty for his irresponsible driving, Verstappen was able to pit and finish sixth, while Norris retired from the race after hobbling his damaged vehicle to the pits. Russell finished 1.906 seconds ahead of the second McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, while Carlos Sainz of Ferrari finished third, ahead of Verstappen and seven-time winner Lewis Hamilton.
The masses of Verstappen’s “orange army” supporters in the grandstands at Red Bull’s home circuit, the Red Bull Ring, had a depressing moment as well. “Irrational!” exclaimed Verstappen, attempting to defend his behavior in the face of considerable criticism directed against his driving. Russell, who lined up third on the grid and declared on Saturday that he would watch the Verstappen-Norris race and “try and sneak through,” said, “That’s incredible!”
After the race, the British competitor commented, “It was a hard battle out there at the start just to hold on to that third place and I saw on the TV that Max and Lando were getting pretty close.” “I anticipated that Lando would want to try to win the race. He was energised. You must stay to pick up the pieces after the team’s outstanding effort to put us in this fight. They had it all figured out.Still, it was an awesome fight! “It was going to happen at some point between these two,” stated Sainz.
Unfair: The outcome of Norris’s race devastated him, and it also strained his connection with the winner. He said, “I’m not sure what to say.” “Unsatisfactory. Though ultimately unjust, I desired a nice race. I think it wasn’t right, but I did a good job. It’s difficult to bear.