George Russell has reminded the Formula 1 paddock exactly why Mercedes remains a championship force, producing a composed drive to claim victory at the Austrian Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen and teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Starting from pole position at the Red Bull Ring, Russell controlled much of the 71-lap contest before holding off a late charge from Verstappen to secure his second win of the 2026 season and his first since the season opener in Australia.
The victory couldn’t have come at a better time for Mercedes.
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Not only did Russell end his winless streak, but the result completed a double podium for the Silver Arrows with championship leader Antonelli finishing third after another mature and consistent drive. The result also lifted Russell above Lewis Hamilton into second place in the Drivers’ Championship, reducing Antonelli’s lead to 40 points heading into next week’s British Grand Prix.
While Russell controlled the race from the front, Verstappen produced one of the drives of the day.
After crashing during qualifying and starting fifth on the grid, the Red Bull star carved his way through the field to finish just 1.6 seconds behind Russell, earning Driver of the Day honours and giving Red Bull plenty of encouragement despite narrowly missing victory.
Antonelli continued his remarkable rookie campaign by claiming another podium finish despite an ill-timed pit stop during a Virtual Safety Car period briefly dropping him down the order. The young Italian recovered impressively and remains firmly in control of the world championship.
Oscar Piastri also delivered another strong performance for McLaren, climbing from seventh on the grid to finish fourth after a clean and consistent afternoon. However, McLaren still lacked the outright pace to seriously challenge Mercedes or Verstappen over race distance.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Ferrari.
After locking out second and third on the starting grid with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, the Scuderia struggled with tyre degradation and strategy throughout the race. Hamilton salvaged fifth after running a three-stop strategy, while Leclerc slipped all the way back to eighth after fading badly during the closing stages. Team principal Fred Vasseur admitted Ferrari simply lacked the race pace to challenge Mercedes.
Red Bull youngster Isack Hadjar continued his impressive season by finishing sixth, while Lando Norris recovered to seventh after a difficult qualifying session. Racing Bulls also celebrated a strong weekend with Liam Lawson and highly-rated rookie Arvid Lindblad finishing ninth and tenth respectively.
Further back, it was another difficult weekend for Aston Martin and Cadillac. Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas all failed to finish, while Fernando Alonso crossed the line three laps down after another frustrating race.
Top 10 – Austrian Grand Prix
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
With Russell back in the winner’s circle and Mercedes collecting a crucial double podium, momentum appears to be swinging back towards the Silver Arrows just as Formula 1 heads to Silverstone. Antonelli still leads the Drivers’ Championship, but Russell’s resurgence, Verstappen’s improved pace and Ferrari’s ongoing inconsistency are setting up a fascinating second half of the 2026 season.
