Max Verstappen starts from pole position after taking both the sprint race pole and win earlier this weekend at the Red Bull Ring.
Lando Norris will once again join the reigning F1 world champion on the front row of the grid, but this time he is without McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri right behind him, after the Australian was demoted from third to seventh for exceeding track limits in qualifying.
By:
Haydn Cobb, Sam Hall
With that, we’ll wrap up this live coverage of the Austrian GP. Thank you for following along this afternoon and we’ll be back in a few days for the British GP on 5-7 July. Until then, go well!
Well, almost everyone predicted Norris and Verstappen would come to blows and today is that day. How that changes the pair’s previously buddy relationship will be intriguing and whatever comes next, this race will be remembered for a long time.
The trophies are handed out and they get busy with the fizzy! Hans Zimmer, who gave out the constructors’ trophy, hangs around to get a soaking from Russell. I think Hans has had the best day of anyone at the Red Bull Ring!
The combo of the British and German national anthem plays out for the winners – both Russell’s and Mercedes’ first win since the 2022 Brazilian GP.
That collision will be the major talking point for us to enjoy and delve into between now and next weekend’s British GP. What is your take on it? Who was in the right and who was in the wrong?
The top three get to see the Verstappen and Norris clash for the first time. Russell: “Cool fight though.” Piastri: “But you did just win the race because of it!”
After a second replay, Sainz adds: “It was going to happen at some point between these two.” Russell replies: “After the sprint race I had a feeling Lando was fired up.”
Russell on the Norris and Verstappen clash: “They were going for it, I couldn’t believe how close we were to Lando and Max. We were only 12 or 13 seconds behind. I knew it was a possibility and you are always dreaming. Just so proud to be back on the top step, the team has worked so hard and we’ve made so many strides since the start of the season. The last three races have been incredible and more to come.”
Russell on his shock win: “Incredible. I think it was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race just to hold on to that third place and I saw on the TV that Max and Lando were getting pretty close and I knew Lando would want to try to get that race win. The team has done an amazing job to put us in this fight and you’ve got to be there in the end to pick up the pieces.”
Piastri on second place: “Yes, there is a lot of what ifs and maybes, starting from yesterday [with the qualifying lap time deletion]. I know it is only my fourth podium in F1 but so close to a win, it hurts a little bit.”
Here’s the developing race report on an Austrian GP thriller.
Sainz on third place: “Quite an eventful race up front… for us it was about keeping up with Mercedes as we thought George might have quite a bit of an advantage on race pace. We tried everything to keep up with him. Then Oscar was coming really, really quick at the end.”
Russell leaps out of his Mercedes and into the arms of his mechanics. That’s his second grand prix victory and no matter how many more he may get in his career, there might not be any more luckier than that. But he was in the right place at the right time to profit from the Verstappen-Norris clash.
With Leclerc in 11th, Ocon took 12th ahead of Stroll, Tsunoda, Albon, Bottas, Zhou, Alonso and Sargeant. Norris was the only retirement from that race.
These are the days that Red Bull needs Perez to be up with Verstappen to pick up the pieces should the worst happen. He wasn’t, and actually finished two places back on his team-mate. We’ll leave you to make your own judgements.
Hamilton takes fourth and Verstappen comes home in fifth – but he loses the fastest lap bonus point to Alonso on the final lap. Hulkenberg holds off Perez for sixth, as Magnussen, Ricciardo and Gasly round out the points.
Leclerc misses out on points for Ferrari in P11 – a position aided by the Norris-Verstappen clash.
Russell wins the Austrian GP! Who saw that coming! The Mercedes driver takes victory by 1.9s from Piastri and Sainz completes the podium in third. Wow.
We mentioned Haas a lot early on, and it’s a great day for the team with Hulkenberg in P6 and Magnussen in P8. Ricciardo is ninth, taking some much-needed points for RB.
Russell adds four tenths to his lead on that last lap, so he is within touching distance of this surprise win.
On to the penultimate lap and Russell leads by 2s over Piastri with Sainz 2.9s back.
Verstappen has been given a 10s penalty for the clash with Norris. The stewards see the Dutch driver as 100% to blame for that clash.
Verstappen is still in this race, having pitted and moved to the softs, and is running in fifth and 10s off Hamilton ahead.
Where is Perez in all the Verstappen-Norris mayhem? Seventh, and still behind Verstappen.
And the Virtual Safety Car is over, Russell leads by 2.8s from Piastri with five laps to go.
Now a Virtual Safety Car, to give the marshals a chance to clear up the debris from the Verstappen and Norris clash.
Norris is out of the race, there is too much damage to his McLaren.
Both Verstappen and Norris make it back to the pits but they are out of the victory fight. Russell leads by 2.8s from Sainz – that is until Piastri overtakes the Spaniard around the outside of Turn 5 to take second!
We’re getting Hamilton-Verstappen flashbacks!
At Turn 3 the two leaders come together and both have a puncture! Russell darts by and into the lead!
They’ve clashed! Verstappen and Norris both have damage! It has kicked off!
Away from the battle for the top two, Russell is relatively comfortable in third with a 3.1s margin from Sainz. But Piastri is 0.8s back, so it’s game on for fourth.
On lap 63, Norris dives down the inside at Turn 3 and this time Verstappen has to back out of it and he goes off track! But this time he keeps the lead. Now what?
Norris is under investigation for track limits, but so far has no penalty. For now, he’s still fighting Verstappen for victory, with another look for a move at Turn 4. This is great racing.
And Norris has been noted for track limits, so that could be it for the Brit. He’s complaining again about Verstappen moving under braking but it is a defence that might be looked at bluntly by the stewards.
Norris dives up the inside at Turn 3 but he locks up and goes off track! He has to give the lead back to Verstappen and what’s more he could also get a penalty for that given his black and white flag from earlier.
Norris is shown the black and white flag for track limits, that means he cannot do it again or he’ll get a penalty. Just to add a bit more tension to this fight.
“It is like something is wrong with the car man, no grip,” Verstappen says on team radio. I’d put it down to his older medium tyres compared to Norris.
Both Verstappen and Norris clear backmarkers Albon and Stroll who briefly interrupt their fight. 15 laps to go.
A preview for the Euro semi-finals? That is the earliest that England and The Netherlands can meet in the competition, for those interested.
Norris has a sniff into Turn 3 but Verstappen moves over to block him off. The British driver complains about it as he sees it as a second move under braking.
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