George Russell secured his second victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Austrian Grand Prix, starting from pole position and finishing 1.611 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver, completed the podium in the 63-lap race at the Red Bull Ring, reducing the points gap between Antonelli and Russell to 40.
Chaotic opening laps and Verstappen's rise.
All four drivers started the race on medium tires, with Russell, Hamilton, and Antonelli ahead of Charles Leclerc, who started from second place. On the first lap, Antonelli went off track at turns 1 and 3, while Hamilton overtook his Ferrari teammate Leclerc at turn 5 to move into third place. This put Leclerc under pressure from Antonelli, who was still in fourth place. On the second lap, Antonelli briefly overtook Leclerc but went off track again, forcing him to relinquish third place; this opened the door for Verstappen, who was in fifth place. The Dutch driver overtook Antonelli at turn 5, then Leclerc, and stuck right behind Hamilton.
The battle between Verstappen and Hamilton intensified on lap 11: Verstappen dived into the hairpin bend at Turn 3, while Hamilton counter-attacked, regaining positions at Turns 5 and 6; however, Verstappen was swept into the gravel on the exit. The positions remained unchanged after the first pit window, but Verstappen launched another attack from Turn 3 on lap 22. Although Hamilton responded at Turn 5, Verstappen this time drove through the inside of Turn 6, ending the wheel-to-wheel battle in his favor.
The VSC era and a strategic mistake.
The VSC flag came out on lap 25 when Carlos Sainz stopped near the pit wall, losing power. Hamilton made his third pit stop, switching from hard to soft tires, while his rivals continued on track; however, Antonelli had entered the pits only seconds before the VSC. Verstappen, gaining speed in the clean air, was two seconds behind Russell on lap 44. Russell pitted on that lap to switch to hard tires; Red Bull responded by making Verstappen wait five more laps. This choice proved decisive: Verstappen exited the pits 10 seconds behind Russell and was unable to catch Russell, who had gained speed on fresher tires.
Antonelli finished third, just 0.375 seconds behind Verstappen. Oscar Piastri took fourth place with a difference of 21.809 seconds, while Lewis Hamilton was fifth. Isack Hadjar was sixth, Lando Norris seventh, and Leclerc eighth. The Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finished ninth and tenth respectively. Lance Stroll (lap 45), Sainz (lap 23), and Sergio Perez (lap 4) retired.
Championship standings
Antonelli, who retired in the last race in Barcelona and has won five races this season, maintains his lead in the championship standings with 171 points. Russell, who reached 131 points with his victory in Austria, overtook Lewis Hamilton, who dropped to third place with 125 points. The gap between Antonelli and Russell has narrowed to 40 points.