Austrian Grand Prix: George Russell bounces back in style fends off Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli
F1 NewsSunday, 28 June 2026 at 16:31
George Russell won the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix from pole after managing to fend off a late-charging Max Verstappen with Kimi Antonelli taking third and limiting the damaging to his Championship lead.
Like his pole position one day earlier, Russell's win in Austria was far from being straight forward as he was under pressure all race long from Verstappen who put himself in contention for the win by a great opening lap making positions from fifth on the grid.
Verstappen will probably be dreading his crash in Qualifying which could've meant a better starting position especially as he upgraded Red Bull Racing RB22 emerged as the best race car on Sunday around the Red Bull Ring.
That was clear in how he managed to reel Russell in in every stint, but in the end, the four-time Formula 1 Champion ran out of laps and had to fend off Antonelli's attack towards the end which meant Russell took the win but by a small margin, 1.6s to be precise.
Antonelli had a wobbly start to the race from fourth, running off track a few times, but once he settled in, he managed to bring his car home in third, showing more pace than his teammate and also left thinking what could've been had he qualified higher up the order and not mistaking Yellow fags for double Yellow.
Antonelli and Mercedes missed a chance to take the lead when Carlos Sainz's Williams called it a day and expired on the start/finish line as the Italian was called too soon into the pits just before the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was announced.
⚠️ VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR ⚠️
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 28, 2026
Carlos Sainz has stopped on the pit straight 😢#F1 #AustrianGP | LAP 24/71 pic.twitter.com/xY6mZTVsow
Credit goes to Russell who drove a calculated race, not buckling despite the pressure Verstappen threw at him and it was simply a case of finishing the job he started on starting with his smart and fast thinking earning him pole.
He managed to keep his lead at the start as others fought for position behind him and starting building a gap which proved crucial towards the end given how close Verstappen got to him towards the end.
Red Bull Racing, usually known for their sharp strategies, also missed out by leaving Verstappen out too long after Russell pitted a second time which gave the latter the advantage. Undercutting the Mercedes driver would've been a classic bold Red Bull approach.
The Briton has made a 10-point dent into Antonelli lead in the Championship and retook second from Lewis Hamilton who had a tough day for Ferrari and finished fifth.
Russell retains his lead!
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 28, 2026
Here is how the race start unfolded in Austria 😮💨#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/7Pnk04JwHW
Behind the Top Three
Speaking of Ferrari, it was clear that the drama in Qualifying - Verstappen crashing last minute - flattered them as they struggled for pace during the race with tyre degradation hurting them bad.
Hamilton had a better start than Charles Leclerc who fell prey to Verstappen and Antonelli at the start. The Monegasque struggled with his tyres and starting dropping dramatically towards the end finishing eighth.
Hamilton, on the other hand, managed to hold on for some time and kept Verstappen at bay until the first round of pitstops, but had to let the Dutchman go after that.
Verstappen 🆚 Hamilton 😱
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 28, 2026
Max gets through into P3 at Turn 3 but has to seal the deal at Turn 6! 👏#F1 #AustrianGP | LAP 23/71 pic.twitter.com/o8PhndH5qt
Ferrari tried to benefit from the VSC by pitting Hamilton and shifting him onto a too stopped which proved to be better than Leclerc's strategy, but not good enough for the podium with fifth being the best result possible behind Oscar Piastri who was fourth in the McLaren.
McLaren benefitted from Ferrari's tyre woes on Sunday, but it was only Piastri who was able to capitalize to finish fourth while teammate Lando Norris had an anonymous race to finish seventh.
Isack Hadjar finished the race in sixth making up two positions from where he started while Liam Lawson survived an early scare with hot brakes to finish in ninth ahead of Arvid Lindblad who was tenth on a decent day for the Racing Bulls.
There were four retirements from the race aside from the aforementioned Sainz DNF.
Both Cadillacs are DNFs after mechanical issues early on 😢#F1 #AustrianGP | LAP 9/71 pic.twitter.com/G4RGVM6WmJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 28, 2026
Both Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez expired on Laps 3 and 5 respectively with brakes on fire and smoke in the cockpit.
Lance Stroll retired later in the race with Fernando Alonso finishing but three laps down.
What the top three said
After bouncing back into Championship contention, and taking his second win of the season, Russell said: "Incredible to be back on the top step. It's been a little while, so I will definitely enjoy this one this evening!
"A lot of hard work with my team to get us back on track. Obviously it was a tricky run of form at one point.
"Max and Red Bull were incredibly quick this weekend, so kudos to them," he pointed out. "I had to push every single lap and I knew how quick the guys were behind. Kimi has been extraordinarily quick this season, so every lap I was looking at the timing board.
"We pitted on the early side [for the last stop], so I knew it would be a long stint but the team timed it to perfection," Russell concluded.
Despite missing out on the win, Verstappen was satisfied with his race, he said: "It was a very good race for us.
"The first few laps were quite fun and then it was basically trying to manage your tyres.
"I think I was in quite a good window for half the race and then picked up a few issues with the car which prevented me from finding that rhythm.
"But to be second and that close to a win is extremely positive. I knocked my knees in qualifying, that was not nice, but today was okay," he concluded.
Antonelli admitted his race wasn't perfect, he added: "I was a bit too excited on the first few laps! Definitely didn't drive well.
"I did too many mistakes and on the first stint on the medium, I lost three or four seconds with the mistakes. I was struggling with the brakes.
"After I changed tyres, I reset and the pace at the end was very strong. It was a shame I joined the party a bit too late.
"On my side, there's a lot to improve, but still.. minimize the mistakes," the Championship leader concluded.
Austrian Grand Prix Provisional Race Qualification
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