George Russell holds off Max Verstappen to claim Austrian GP win that boosts F1 title hopes
George Russell resists Max Verstappen to take a key F1 victory in Austria.
George Russell beat Max Verstappen to a timely victory at the Austrian Grand Prix to boost his F1 championship hopes as Mercedes returned to winning ways.
Having been handed its first defeat of the season by Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton last time out in Barcelona, Russell bounced back in style to convert a controversial pole position into just his second win of the season in Spielberg.
Russell kept his cool throughout and was able to thwart the threat of a charging Verstappen, who made the most of a major Red Bull upgrade to secure the team’s best result of the 2026 season so far at its home F1 race.
Full 2026 F1 Austrian Grand Prix race results
The victory has got Russell’s season back on track after a run of bad luck and being out-performed by his younger Mercedes team-mate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who nearly caught Verstappen at the line but completed the podium in third with the top three covered by just two seconds.
It is a result that sees Russell move back up to second place in the drivers’ championship and reduce Antonelli’s advantage down to 40 points. Austria marks the second consecutive race that Russell has gained points on Antonelli.
Oscar Piastri finished a comfortable fourth for McLaren, ahead of Hamilton, who had to settle with fifth after appearing in contention for a possible podium early on, and engaging in a swashbuckling battle with old foe Verstappen.
Isack Hadjar came home sixth in the other Red Bull, ahead of reigning world champion Lando Norris, who had a rather anonymous race for McLaren in seventh.
It was a difficult race for Charles Leclerc, who ended up a distant eighth after having to make a late pit stop due to his pace struggles on hard tyres.
The Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the points-paying positions in ninth and 10th.
Four cars failed to finish as Carlos Sainz’s Williams broke down on the start-finish straight, while Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin suffered a suspected ERS problem.
Cadillac endured a nightmare race with both of its cars forced into retirement inside the first five laps due to brake-related issues.
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