SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — George Russell is firmly back in Formula 1 title contention after turning his controversial pole position into a dominant win at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Russell controlled the race throughout and held off a challenge from Red Bull's Max Verstappen. His Mercedes teammate and standings leader Kimi Antonelli had to settle for third after closing in on Verstappen on the final lap.
It's the first win for Russell, excluding
sprint races, since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. “Good team result, well done everybody,” he said.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari failed to build on his breakthrough win at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last time out, with the seven-time champion fifth and teammate Charles Leclerc eighth.
Russell took pole Saturday with a lap time set as a yellow flag was displayed for a crash by Max Verstappen. Russell argued he’d lifted off enough to be safe and the stewards agreed.
Sunday’s win showed off Russell’s smart approach to racing in a different way as he managed his pace and stayed out of trouble, even as those behind him lost time battling each other for position.
Leclerc had started second, with Hamilton third, but they gradually dropped back through the field on a track where they lacked power compared to Mercedes and also had difficulties with tire wear.
Hamilton didn’t give up without a fight, bringing back memories of his fierce battles with Max Verstappen in 2021. Hamilton and the Dutch driver fought side by side in the early part of the race and Verstappen complained Hamilton had forced him wide into a gravel trap.
The heatwave sweeping Europe made this the first race of the year to be run under F1’s “heat hazard” rules, with drivers required to use cooling vests or carry an equivalent weight in ballast.
Overheating brakes were a hot topic, with Antonelli among those struggling to stop the car. Both Cadillac drivers retired early, with the team’s crew rushing to put out a small fire on Valtteri Bottas’ car before Sergio Perez reported smoke.
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