George Russell converted pole into a lights-to-flag win in Austria. Max Verstappen recovered from fifth on the grid to second, and Kimi Antonelli took the final podium spot and the fastest lap, enough to extend his championship lead further despite starting fourth.
Qualifying: Russell on Pole, Ferrari Lock Out the Second Row
Russell took pole position, with Leclerc second and Hamilton third, both Ferraris splitting the Mercedes cars. Antonelli was fourth, Verstappen fifth, and Norris sixth. Piastri qualified seventh, Hadjar eighth, and Lawson and Lindblad rounded out the top ten for Racing Bulls.
Race: Russell Wins from Pole, Leclerc’s Weekend Unravels
Russell converted pole into a start to finish win. Verstappen made up three places from fifth on the grid to second, and Antonelli climbed from fourth to third, taking the fastest lap of the race along the way. Piastri moved up from seventh to fourth.
Hamilton dropped from third on the grid to fifth at the flag, and Hadjar backed up his qualifying lap with sixth. Norris slipped from sixth to seventh, but it was Leclerc’s race that unravelled the most: second on the grid, he finished eighth, outside the podium picture he’d started with. Lawson and Lindblad completed the point scorers in ninth and tenth for Racing Bulls.
Valtteri Bottas was the day’s first retirement. No Safety Car was needed. RB claimed the fastest pitstop of the afternoon.
The Points Table Tells the Story
Antonelli’s podium takes him to 171 points, extending his lead to 40 over Russell, whose win moves him to 131 and up to second, swapping places with Hamilton. Hamilton’s fifth place is still worth ten points, taking him to 125 in third.
Further down, Piastri’s fourth place moves him to 80 and into fourth overall, ahead of Norris and Leclerc, who are now level on 79 points apiece after Norris’s seventh and Leclerc’s eighth. Verstappen’s podium takes him to 73 in seventh. Hadjar’s sixth place moves him to 42 points and past Gasly, who scored nothing in Austria, into eighth.
In the constructors’, Mercedes extend their lead to 302 points on Russell and Antonelli’s combined haul. Ferrari move to 204 despite the mixed day, Hamilton’s points doing the heavy lifting with Leclerc’s eighth adding only four. McLaren’s double from Piastri and Norris takes them to 159. Red Bull Racing move to 115 on Verstappen and Hadjar’s combined result, and Racing Bulls’s double from Lawson and Lindblad takes them to 44.
Drivers’ Championship: Top 10
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 171 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 131 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 125 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 80 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 79 |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 79 |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 73 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 42 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 41 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 30 |
Constructors’ Championship: Top 10
| Pos | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 302 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 204 |
| 3 | McLaren | 159 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing | 115 |
| 5 | Alpine | 57 |
| 6 | Racing Bulls | 44 |
| 7 | Haas F1 Team | 21 |
| 8 | Williams | 11 |
| 9 | Audi | 2 |
| 10 | Aston Martin | 1 |
The Wider Picture
Mercedes had the weekend Ferrari will have wanted: pole, the win, a podium, and the fastest lap, with Russell and Antonelli filling two of the top three positions.
Ferrari leave Austria with a split result. Hamilton’s fifth place kept the points coming, but Leclerc’s drop from second on the grid to eighth is the kind of result that will get more attention in the debrief than the constructors’ table suggests.
Red Bull will take real encouragement from Verstappen’s podium, a recovery of three places from his grid slot.
McLaren picked up points with both cars, though Norris’s seventh place was a quieter return than Piastri’s fourth.
Racing Bulls continue to add to their tally with a double points finish for Lawson and Lindblad.
Final Verdict
Austria was a complete weekend for Mercedes and Antonelli: pole, the win, a podium, the fastest lap, and a championship lead now standing at 40 points. But look further down the order and there’s a genuine title fight for third developing, Norris and Leclerc now level on points after very different weekends, one a quiet seventh, the other a fall from the front row to eighth. Whoever sorts out their Sunday first will have the edge in that battle.
Photo: “Kart Silverstone 20260423 Russell Helmets” by Mb2437, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Leave a Reply