Max Verstappen and Lando Norris fight ends in tears as George Russell wins Austrian GP
Max Verstappen hoped to make it a perfect Austrian Grand Prix weekend by adding a main race victory to the one he secured in the Saturday Sprint, having qualified on pole for both
George Russell picked up the pieces as a furious battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris ended with a collision which ended both their chances of winning.
The first two-thirds of the race were largely dull but it exploded into life with a slow pit stop for Verstappen. That let Norris close in and spend the last 18 laps swarming all over the gearbox of the Red Bull.
They got more and more furious with each other as they gave everything, sometimes going over the limit, to beat each other. And it ended in tears as they touched at turn three, causing a puncture to both cars which ended their chances of winning.
Norris had to retire the car and Verstappen had to settle for fifth. Russell was running in third and inherited the lead to take his second career victory, while Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz suddenly found themselves on the podium. Lewis Hamilton was fourth and Nico Hulkenberg headed an impressive double points finish for Haas.
Verstappen got the start he would have dreamed about to leave Norris more worried about losing ground to Russell. The McLaren driver held on, but there was some good news for Mercedes as, behind them, Hamilton got the better of Sainz to move into fourth.
But it was short-lived as the stewards investigated how he had got past the Ferrari and the team clearly felt they were in line for a penalty. Peter Bonnington instructed Hamilton to give the place back and he duly obliged, but another blow was coming for the Italians.
Charles Leclerc picked up front wing damage in an early skirmish with Piastri and had to pit at the end of the first lap as a result. By the time he came back out of the pit lane, a new nose attached to his Ferrari, the Monegasque was 40 seconds adrift of leader Verstappen and left praying for a safety car to bring him back into points contention.
Hamilton was still gamely chasing down Sainz but was hampered by a five-second penalty incurred by crossing the pit lane entry line when he wasn't supposed to. He served that at his second pit stop, by which point he had also slipped behind the other McLaren of Piastri.
Verstappen had an entirely uneventful race up until lap 48 when he had trouble, strangely enough, from a couple of lapped cars behind him. The Dutchman wanted to manage his tyres but was being hustled by the two Haas cars who were running in the points and in no mood to slow down with Daniel Ricciardo chasing them down.
A few laps later, Verstappen headed into the pit lane for a change of tyres and Norris followed him in. The Briton was more than six second behind when they pulled in, but a slow stop for the Red Bull racer - his rear-left wheel was reluctant to come off - saw that advantage cut down to less than two.
And Norris was soon within DRS range of his rival and set about piling on the pressure. And it was taking its toll on the Dutchman who was flustered and soon reported over the radio: "It's like there's something wrong with the car - no grip!"
Then came the moment that changed everything. With seven laps to go, Norris again attempted the move at turn three and Verstappen moved left to close the door. Both went off track and touched, causing the punctures which gifted the win to Russell.
It marked Mercedes' first victory since Russell's maiden win in Brazil in 2022. While the celebrations got under way in the pit lane, tempers flared between Norris and Verstappen after their battle which proved costly to both.
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