Russell takes advantage of late crash to win the Austrian GP in Formula 1

Almost 20 months later, Mercedes finally returned to the top spot on the podium. This Sunday (30), at the Austrian GP, ​​George Russell confirmed his good form and took advantage of the incident involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris with five laps to go to take the lead. Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz completed the podium. Mercedes' last victory had been with Russell at Interlagos, in 2022.

Crash changed the course of the race

From the start, the tension between Verstappen and Norris was evident, and closely followed by Russell, they were in an electrifying battle for first place. However, with 5 laps to go, a crash involving both drivers took the British driver out of the race and resulted in a 10-second penalty for Max, who also suffered a flat tire. The Mercedes driver, who was closely watching the battle, took first place. “It was a tough battle at the start of the race to hold on to third position. I could see Max and Lando were pushing really hard and I knew Lando would want that win,” said Russell.

Victory confirms Russell's good form

At the Spielberg Circuit, Russell secured his second victory in F1 and also ended a 595-day winless streak for Mercedes. With his first place finish on Sunday, the 26-year-old British driver confirmed his good form with his second podium in the last three races. This season, Russell had already achieved 3rd place at the Canadian GP.

_{George Russel celebrates second career victory after “crazy race” (Video: reproduction/Instagram/@f1)}

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In the general classification, the lead remains with Max Verstappen, from RBR, followed by Lando Norris (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). George Russell rose to 7th place. The drivers return to the track on the 7th, at the Silverstone circuit, in England.

Featured photo: George Russell takes first place at the Austrian GP (Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/@mercedesamgf1)