2024 Austrian Grand Prix: Russell Claims Victory after Late Drama between Norris and Verstappen

George Russell secured his second Formula 1 race victory at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, after a dramatic late collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Verstappen was comfortable out in front for the majority of the race, but a poor pit stop from Oracle Red Bull Racing saw him come back into the clutches of Verstappen. The pair were battling for a number of laps and jostling for the lead. Verstappen and Norris came together and suffered punctures on Lap 64, ending the latter race and putting the former down into fifth. While the top two in the Championship may have lost out, there’s always those who gain from it in Formula 1 and after running a brilliant race in third, Russell was able to get himself into the lead of the race, with Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz Jr. going onto the podium.

After securing pole position on Saturday, Verstappen got a great launch of the line getting through key overtaking zones Turn One and Three in the lead, ahead of Norris. The race settled down after the first few laps, with Verstappen comfortably ahead of Norris, who had a good margin back to Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team driver, Russell. The MoneyGram Haas F1 Team duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen were both running well, in the point positions.

Hamilton made a daring move on Sainz at Turn Three in the early stages, but it was short-lived. The stewards determined that Hamilton gained an unfair advantage by going off track at Turn One, where his car reportedly sustained floor damage. He was forced to give the position back to Sainz. Charles Leclerc’s race took a nasty turn at the very beginning. A collision with Oscar Piastri left him worse off, needing a pit stop to replace a damaged front wing. This dropped him all the way down to 19th place with Logan Sargeant also required a pit stop due to damage from a Lap One collision.

More misfortune struck Hamilton later in the 71 lap Grand Prix. Stewards handed him a five-second penalty for crossing the white line entering the pit lane, after he had a moment on the exit of Turn Nine when coming into the pits. This penalty effectively dashed his hopes of finishing on the podium, even following the incident between Verstappen and Norris. The stewards had their hands full throughout the race. Fernando Alonso received a ten-second penalty for a collision with Zhou Guanyu, while Sergio Pérez, who had another tough race week, was penalised five seconds for speeding in the pit lane.

A close battle for the final few points position were about as exciting as things got during the middle part of the race. The BWT Alpine F1 Team rivalry continued as Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon went wheel-to-wheel for eighth place, with Daniel Ricciardo also in the battle. Gasly eventually took the upper hand after Ocon was pushed off track during their intense fight.

The closing laps injected a jolt of excitement into the race. Norris managed to claw his way back into contention, showing some excellent pace, slashing Verstappen’s lead from eight seconds to a mere three thanks to a much faster pit stop and fresher tyres. Norris hounded Verstappen, eventually getting within DRS range and attempting a daring move at Turn Three. The Dutchman held firm, leaving Norris fuming on the radio. Undeterred, Norris continued his pursuit and managed to overtake Verstappen. However, his eagerness got the better of him as he exceeded track limits, forcing him to relinquish the position. This thrilling duel between Norris and Verstappen ultimately proved costly for both. Their contact on Lap 64 sent them tumbling out of podium contention, and out of the race completely for Norris, paving the way for Russell to seize his second ever Formula 1 victory.

Piastri and Sainz completed the podium, while a slightly messy race from Hamilton meant he couldn’t join his teammate on the podium. Unlike Norris, Verstappen managed to finish the race and secure the fastest lap, finishing fifth. Hulkenberg and Magnussen rounded out an excellent day for Haas, finishing sixth and eighth to move closer to Visa Cash App RB in the Constructors Championship. It was another difficult weekend for Pérez, with the Mexican unable to pass Hulkenberg and finishing in seventh.

RB recovered from a torrid Spanish Grand Prix and Austrian Sprint Race and in his 250th Formula 1 race start, Ricciardo managed to secure points, finishing in ninth. It was a great result for the Australian especially after the comments from Dr. Helmut Marko ahead of the weekend. Gasly finished in the final points position, with Ocon in twelfth, and despite points for the fourth consecutive race, Alpine will surely feel they could’ve got more if they maximised their pace.

Leclerc failed to recover from his Lap One incident with Piastri and finished down in eleventh. Lance Stroll was the lead Aston Martin Armaco F1 Team driver as they failed to score points once again – Alonso ended the race in eighteenth.

Yuki Tsunoda had a tough day for RB, and couldn’t match the pace of his point scoring teammate. Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou finished fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth respectively ahead of Alonso and Sargeant, who was the last runner on circuit.