Formula One returned to the Red Bull Ring, nestled in the mountains of Spielberg, for the Austrian Grand Prix. Champions have been made, battles have been won and lost, and this track is constantly action-packed due to its long straights, sweeping corners, complex final section, and that iconic right-hand kink into Turn 2.
The 1984 Austrian Grand Prix would see the win of hometown hero, Niki Lauda, even after a severe mechanical failure. In 2002, one of the greatest scandals of all time involved Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher, after Ferrari ordered Barrichello to move out of the way on the last lap to allow Schumacher the victory. Fast forward to 2024, where we would bear witness to the Norris-Verstappen battle leading to a collision, handing the win to George Russell. So, what did this year have in store?
Qualifying
AUDI R26 #5, GABRIEL BORTOLETO, © AUDI REVOLUT F1 TEAM.
The year has consisted of Mercedes’ domination, with Ferrari looming ever closer, race by race, margin by margin. With all eyes on the rejuvenated and hungry Lewis Hamilton, fans were excited to see what pace the Ferraris had for their rivals at Mercedes. Needless to say, it was a qualifying for the ages.
To be successful in racing, you need to be consistent, and Mercedes hit the ground running in Q1 with Kimi Antonelli topping the charts with a 1:07.083, followed by the surprise McLaren of Lando Norris in P2 (+0.176) and Lewis Hamilton showing he’s bringing the fight early with P3 (+0.207). I was taken aback to see the Racing Bull of Liam Lawson in P4, with Russell in P5 and Verstappen breathing down his neck in P6 and teammate Isack Hadjar right on Verstappen’s heels in P7. Oscar Piastri found some errors, leaving him struggling to find pace in Q1, exiting the session in P8, with Leclerc in even more trouble in P9 and the other Racing Bull of Arvid Lindblad in P10.
Q2 would end with Antonelli leading the pack and finding two-tenths of time on track, crossing the line with a 1:06.763. Out of nowhere, the McLaren of Piastri came to life, exiting Q2 in P2 (+0.127) and teammate Lando Norris right behind in P3 (+0.134). George Russell found a bit more pace and finished the session in P4, with Hamilton losing some momentum and a P5 for his efforts. Where Hamilton lost it, Leclerc seemed to gain, exiting the session in P6, and the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar stayed exactly where he ended Q1 in P7. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad crossed the line in P8 and P9, with a shocking end to Q2 as Max Verstappen would round out the session in P10.
Positions were changing left, right, and centre in Q3, with the Ferraris pulling out all the stops and both Hamilton and Leclerc sitting on the front row. What we thought was a sure thing and a reflection of an extremely dominant qualifying performance, but qualifying would end under very political circumstances, not in favour of Ferrari. On his last lap, pushing the car to the limit, the Red Bull of Max Verstappen would experience severe oversteer on entry to the Jochen Rindt Turn (Turn 9), causing Verstappen to lose control and make heavy contact with the barriers. Verstappen was reported to be unharmed, but this is where things get a bit interesting. Russell, on a hot lap, crossed the line and took P1 for Mercedes during a yellow flag — that’s something that is usually frowned upon, except for one small detail; it wasn’t a double yellow flag or full course yellow (both of which mean to slow down completely, and would throw Russell’s lap away). Instead, it was still a single yellow when he crossed the line, meaning it’s just a caution for that section of track, allowing Russell to take P1 with a 1:06.349, Leclerc in P2 (+0.263) and Hamilton P3 (+0.295). The rest of the field? Kimi Antonelli (P4), Max Verstappen (P5), Lando Norris (P6), Oscar Piastri (P7), Isack Hadjar (P8), Liam Lawson (P9), Arvid Lindblad (P10).
Race
AUDI R26 #27, NICO HULKENBERG, © AUDI REVOLUT F1 TEAM.
The lights are out and the race is underway. Russell gets off the line well, followed by Hamilton, Leclerc, and Antonelli. Remember my previous statement regarding success in racing stemming from consistency? One thing Kimi Antonelli has been consistent with is his difficulty getting off the line. Upon entering Turn 1, he went off track and did the same thing again through Turn 3. Lap 2 would see Antonelli creating his own line through Turn 1 after passing Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and going off track once again, losing two places on the exit of Turn 3 and quickly being ambushed by the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Not an ideal start for the championship leader.
A few laps later, we would see World Champions battle it out. Eleven World Championships of experience between Lewis Hamilton (7-Time Drivers’ Champion) and Max Verstappen (4-Time Drivers’ Champion) put on a spectacle — a true-to-form masterclass of pure racing. Lap after lap, the battle continued until lap 22, leading to Verstappen eventually taking P2 from Hamilton after a beautiful manoeuvre and a late lunge from far back entering Turn 6. Both drivers have had their battles over the years, and a fierce rivalry back in 2021; seeing them both race clean and push each other was a beautiful sight to see, and the clear respect both drivers have for each other.
The Williams of Carlos Sainz came to a grinding halt on the main straight after a suspected electrical failure, leading to a virtual safety car, opening the window for Hamilton to pit for fresh soft tires to try and make up some ground and push hard for the next stint in an attempt to get another Ferrari podium. Hamilton would pull a beautiful overtake on his teammate, Charles Leclerc, around the outside of Turn 6. The extra pit stop for Hamilton didn’t go according to plan, leading to his P5 finish for the weekend.
The race was on for the last laps: Russell, Verstappen, and Antonelli, all within two seconds of each other. After a consistent and well-driven race from George Russell, there was no question it was his race to take, but Verstappen pushed lap after lap, closing that gap quickly to a small 1.3 seconds, but ran out of time, allowing the Mercedes of Russell to take his second victory of the season. Antonelli was so close to catching Verstappen and missed out on the second-largest step on the podium by just over three-tenths of a second, giving Verstappen P2 and Antonelli P3.
The Rest
PHOTO BY JIRI KRENEK, COURTESY OF MERCEDES-AMG.
Oscar Piastri had a brilliant display of race craft throughout the Austrian afternoon, recovering to P4. The aforementioned P5 finishing position of Lewis Hamilton, followed by the phenomenal comeback of Isack Hadjar and his Red Bull to bring home P6. Lando Norris and his McLaren had a bit of a weekend slump with a P7 finish, and Charles Leclerc, who experienced the tires just gave way on his Ferrari, finished P8. To round out the top 10, an impressive drive from the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson in P9 and Arvid Lindblad in P10 brought home another much-needed points finish.
This was a more spaced-out race than we’ve experienced these past several races, but displayed plenty of phenomenal overtakes and battles on track. These smaller cars are starting to show more and more that passing is possible again, and drivers can be more aggressive to get the results they want. Another victory added to Mercedes’ tally, another win for George Russell, and this might be where the tables turn for the season. Only time will tell. Next stop? Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.
FEATURE IMAGE: GEORGE RUSSELL, PORTRAIT PODIUM CELEBRATION, DURING THE FORMULA 1 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2026. PHOTO BY ALBERTO VIMERCATI / DPPI, COURTESY OF MERCEDES-AMG.
