George Russell was given an opening at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, and he capitalized on it for his second career win in Spielberg, Austria.
The 26-year-old Brit was the beneficiary of a collision between leaders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris on the 64th of 71 laps. Verstappen had an eight-second lead about halfway through the race, but Norris was able to reduce the deficit by more than half at lap 59 after a slow Verstappen pit stop.
Five laps later, the two were battling for the lead when Norris and Verstappen made contact as Norris attempt to pass Verstappen. Neither driver was injured, but Norris’ car sustained a right rear tire puncture, with Verstapppen’s left rear tire damaged.
The incident allowed Russell to climb from third place to first.
Norris was forced to end the race. Race stewards found Verstappen at fault and he was penalized 10 seconds, finishing in fifth place.
Russell now has the past two wins for Mercedes, with the previous victory coming in Brazil in 2022.
Russell finished the course in one hour, 24 minutes. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri of Australia was second, 1.9 seconds behind Russell, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz of Spain in third.
Verstappen has seven victories this season for Red Bull Racing.
–Field Level Media
