In an incredible turn of events at the Austrian Grand Prix, George Russell took home his second career victory.
The race, changed entirely by a dramatic collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, resulted in the victory getting handed to the Mercedes driver.
The dramatic collision between Verstappen and Norris opened the door for the 26-year-old, navigating through the chaos and was in the right place at the right time, with the right mindset.
As the race unfolded, the drama between Verstappen and Norris was ongoing, whilst Russell was further behind, watching their moves from afar via the big screens around the track.
Reflecting on the pace of the W15, the Brit claimed, “I couldn’t believe actually how close we were to Lando and Max.”
“I think we were only about 12, 13 seconds behind.”
Everything changed on lap 64 when Verstappen and Norris collided, altering the trajectory of Russell’s race and enabling him to capitalise on the situation.
“Suddenly I had Toto screaming in my ear, ‘You can win this’. And I almost crashed when he screamed into my ears. It was that loud.
“But I think it just goes to show the passion that we all share. And it’s obviously been a tough couple of years for us. It feels great to be back on the top step.”
Russell had a big fight with Hamilton on lap 3, but he ultimately prevailed. From there, it was about managing Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri behind him. Then, a gift came.
“Incredible. It was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race, just to hold on to that P3, and I saw on the TV that Max and Lando were going pretty hard.
“You’ve got to be there at the end to pick up the pieces, and that’s where we were.”
When asked about the unexpected victory, Russell highlighted the team’s progress.
“These last three races as a team, we’ve really turned it up. Today was a deserving P3 and we got the victory.
“It’s funny how this sport turns around,” he noted.
“You’re always dreaming, but as I said, just so proud to be back on the top step.”
His race strategy, including running the medium tyre in the middle of the race, played a crucial role in helping him stay in P3, behind Norris and Verstappen, despite admitting it didn’t necessarily help in the final few laps as Piastri was on a softer tyre.
Following the collision, the virtual safety car gave Russell time to cool his tyres and maintain his lead to the drivers behind.
“That VSC at the end was quite handy for me. It allowed me to cool my tyres down,” he explained.
With his home race at Silverstone just around the corner, Russell seems eager to carry this momentum forward.
“I think we’re riding a bit of a wave at the moment. These last three races have been incredible,” he said.
“You always dare to dream for sure. Anything can happen.
“I think Red Bull were really quick this weekend in the high-speed corners. So they’re going to look pretty strong next week in Silverstone.”
Nonetheless, the progress made by the team is clear.
“The team did a great job. So it’s nice when you get a reward for all that hard work.”
