Max Verstappen says he could've kept George Russell behind in Austrian Grand Prix

Verstappen's chances of winning took a huge hit when he crashed in Qualifying in Q3, which meant he started from fifth on the grid.

But a strong opening lap meant the Dutchman was back in contention and showed great pace while chasing Russell, who was suffering from more tyre degradation.

However, in the second round of pit stops, Mercedes brought Russell in before to undercut Verstappen, who was very close and trying to pass the #63 Mercedes.

Usually, Red Bull Racing are known for their bold strategy decisions and should have pulled the trigger first, putting Mercedes under pressure.

To make matters worse, and instead of immediately responding to Mercedes, Red Bull Racing left Verstappen out too long looking for a tyre advantage towards the end of the Grand Prix, which meant he lost a lot of time and emerged over ten seconds behind Russell.

While Verstappen clawed the deficit back, the rate at which he did that wasn't enough to attack Russell, as Kimi Antonelli joined the fight towards the end and started pressuring the #3 Red Bull.

When asked whether his team got the strategy wrong, he responded: "In hindsight, it's easier to say that, but we will look back at it.

"It was still going to be a long stint on the tyres, but at the same time, my degradation was a bit better than George, so I'm pretty confident I could have kept him behind.

"It's still a very good result after quite some tough times, lately being better, now for the first time fighting for a win. That's a good step," the four-time Formula 1 Champion added. (Source: Sky Sports F1)