Mercedes' George Russell emerged lucky winner of F1 Austrian Grand Prix following a lap 64 collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- George Russell took his and Mercedes' first Formula 1 win since Sao Paulo in 2022 with victory in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, taking advantage of a late collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Starting from pole position and having won Saturday's Sprint event, Red Bull's Verstappen headed off the threat from McLaren's Norris at the start and appeared set for a comfortable victory.
However, as the race wore on, Norris appeared to be looking after his tyres more comfortably than Verstappen, and the Briton closed within striking distance of the Dutchman as the race entered its closing stages.
After the two nearly came to blows on a couple of occasions, the race's flashpoint occurred on lap 62, when Verstappen and Norris touched on the run down to Turns 3 and 4, resulting in both cars ending up with punctures and seeing Russell vault through into an unexpected lead that he would keep to the flag.
"Incredible. It was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race just to hold onto P3. I saw Max and Lando were going pretty hard, and I knew Lando would want that win," said Russell, who had never previously finished on the podium at the Red Bull Ring.
"The team have done an amazing job to put us in this fight. You've got to be there to pick up the pieces and that's where we were.
"They [Verstappen and Norris] were going for it. I couldn't believe how close we were to Lando and Max. We were only about 12 seconds behind, and I knew it [the collision] was a possibility. You are always dreaming.
"Just so proud to be back on the top step. We have made so many strides since the start of the season. The last few races have been incredible. More to come."
Behind Russell, Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri salvaged some joy for McLaren with second, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz rounding out the top three.
Lewis Hamilton took fourth in the second Mercedes, with Verstappen ultimately ending up fifth after his eventful end to the race. The Dutchman was also slapped with a ten-second penalty for his part in the collision with Norris, who was forced to retire, but this did not change the Red Bull driver's final position.
Nico Hulkenberg took a fine sixth place for his and Haas' best finish of the season, ahead of Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, who laid on his latest underwhelming performance.
Hulkenberg's teammate Kevin Magnussen took eighth on an excellent day for Haas, with Daniel Ricciardo silencing some doubters with a fine drive to ninth in his RB, and Pierre Gasly rounding out the top ten in his Alpine.
In the Drivers' Championship, Verstappen has extended his lead despite a bad day, and now has 237 points. Norris remains second on 156 points, with Charles Leclerc, who also failed to score after an unscheduled pit stop, still third on 150 points.
In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull remain top with 355 points, followed by Ferrari in second place with 291 points, and McLaren in third with 268 points.
The 12th round of the 2024 F1 season is next weekend's British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit. ■