Russell takes surprise win at 2024 F1 Austrian Grand Prix
- Russell takes his first win of the season
- Norris, Verstappen made contact; Norris retired but Verstappen finished, with a penalty
- Next race up: The British Grand Prix, July 5-7
Mercedes-Benz AMG’s George Russell drove to victory on Sunday at the Austrian Grand Prix, which served as round 11 of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Russell started the race in third and looked to finish there, until a clash between leaders Lando Norris of McLaren and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing in the closing stages opened up the path for victory for the Mercedes driver, the second of his career.
Second place went to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, 1.9 seconds behind the winner, and third place went to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, 4.5 seconds behind.
After winning Saturday’s Sprint race and qualifying on pole position, Verstappen looked set to take out Sunday’s main race as well. For most of the race it looked like the reigning champion would be the winner, as he made a brilliant start and would soon have a reasonable gap with Norris in second place. However, a slow final pit stop slashed the gap to less than two seconds.
2024 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix – Photo via Mercedes-Benz
Norris would then make multiple attempts to overtake before finally coming into contact with Verstappen on Turn 3 of lap 64. This resulted in both drivers suffering punctures and having to return to the pits. Norris retired due to too much damage to this car while Verstappen continued on, eventually finishing in fifth place despite a receiving a 10-second penalty for the clash. Norris received a penalty of five seconds.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also suffered damage early in the race. He was squeezed between Piastri and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez going into Turn 1 on the first lap and came off worst, having to pit to replace a damaged front wing. From then on, he had to fight his way up from the back of the grid and only climbed as high as 11th at the checkered flag.
Following the weekend’s action, Verstappen remains in the lead in the 2024 Drivers’ Championship with a total of 237 points. Norris is second with 156 points and Leclerc is third with 150 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 355 points. Ferrari is second with 291 points, and McLaren is third with 268 points.
The next race on the calendar is the British Grand Prix scheduled for July 5-7.
2024 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix – Photo via Mercedes-Benz
2024 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix results
1) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +13.309 seconds
2) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +1.906 seconds
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +4.533 seconds
4) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +23.142 seconds
5) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing +37.253 seconds
6) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +54.088 seconds
7) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +54.672 seconds
8) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +60.355 seconds
9) Daniel Ricciardo, RB +61.169 seconds
10) Pierre Gasly, Alpine +61.766 seconds
11) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +67.056 seconds
12) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +68.325 seconds
13) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1 lap
14) Yuki Tsunoda, RB +1 lap
15) Alexander Albon, Williams +1 lap
16) Valtteri Bottas, Sauber +1 lap
17) Zhou Guanyu, Sauber +1 lap
18) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +1 lap
19) Logan Sargeant, Williams +2 laps
20) Lando Norris, McLaren +7 laps