Outside Line: At the Austrian Grand Prix we saw the 'Alain Prost' in George Russell

In Austria the streak simply had to end, and all credit to Russell for doing exactly that, delivering a smart qualifying lap, albeit a fortuitous one in the end, because Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli might have had something to say about it if one hadn't crashed and the other hadn't lifted off.

Nevertheless, George's experience over his younger teammate paid off when it mattered. It was a solid weekend for the 28-year-old, probably his best so far, winning on a track that he's won on before. Making it two wins at the same venue for the first time in his career means he clearly likes the place.

That qualifying lap! Considering he lifted off the gas on that final qualifying lap when he looked like he was at least half a second up, and by lifting he probably ditched two or three tenths. It was ballsy and lightning-quick thinking from the cockpit in the heat of his hottest lap of the weekend.

That was a stonking lap that might be forgotten in the midst of the slightly controversial aftermath, but it was short-lived because he did lift, so he got that pole. Stewards agreed on the day. On another day, with others, he might've been penalised. It was a grey area. If it had been Ayrton or Max, they would have been praised non-stop. So why not George?

Moving on. On race day, Russell did exactly what he had to do. He had to get away fast. He did. He had to keep those honest, beyond honest. He had to keep the lead pegged. I have a feeling that towards the end, when Max Verstappen and Antonelli were reeling him in, George had more in reserve had he needed it. After all, suddenly the gap hit the three-second ceiling.

In the post-race interviews, he mentioned that he'd been watching the TV screens and calculating lap times, gaps and the perfect delta he needed to win the race.

I imagine that if the great four-time Formula 1 World Champion Alain Prost were driving these cars in this day and age, he would have driven them exactly like George Russell did at the Austrian Grand Prix. And we know how good 'The Professor' was at his craft.

The truth of the matter is Russell's getting a bit of a hard time of it of late, and it is out of his control. In the sister Silver Arrows is Antonelli, Formula 1's new blue-eyed boy. And deservedly so, the 19-year-old was a phenomenon. A sensation…

In contrast, the paddock and fan community sentiment tends to be that Russell is "boring" and too much of a prima donna. Well, you call him the anti-Senna; you call him the anti-Max Verstappen – whatever you want. Ying and Yang.

But not all greats are wired the way of Ayrton and Max. Prost, for example, famously liked to win races with the slowest average speed possible. It was not exciting or swashbuckling, but it delivered four titles for the Frenchman.

Although, like with Prost, I can't say I'm a George Russell fan, I respect both drivers and am impressed with the Briton. In Austria he was severely tested and passed with flying colours. He won a race he could not lose. That is immense pressure!

If Formula 1 were boxing, this contest would read like this thus far: George won Round 1 as expected. However, Antonelli came out swinging, winning the next five rounds. In Monaco, Antonelli won, and Russell had a DNF; he was floored and on the canvas.

In Spain, Kimi hit the canvas through no fault of his own, while George claimed the round. Nevertheless, Austria could have been the knockout punch had Antonelli again won.

Russell knew this and not only ticked every box but also delivered a perfect weekend against the mounting mental odds. With his seventh career F1 victory on Sunday in the bag, he definitely signalled his intent to his teammate that he's not just going to roll over and let him cruise to the title.

While there was not much damage done to the championship lead, because 40 points is still a mountain, what does it matter? Well, it's a start. Russell now needs a big result like this just about every weekend until the summer break, so when they tackle the second half of the season, Antonelli will be within range.

That is not only good for Russell; it's good for Formula 1. Imagine if Kimi just carried on romping to victory after victory. Then this championship race would be over not long after the summer hiatus.

For the Formula 1 neutrals and those who want a real contest this season, may Russell continue to harrass Antonelli so that this title race ends at the end, not four or five rounds earlier. Remember when Verstappen and Red Bull gobbled up just about every race back in 2023.

Finally, fair is fair; you've got to give credit where credit is due. Respect for what Russell delivered under the high-pressure stakes of the past weekend. If he carries on delivering Prost-like performances, as he did in Austria, we're in for a mighty ding-dong of a title fight. And that's a good thing!