Russell Clinches Dramatic Austrian GP Win After Norris-Verstappen Clash

George Russell discloses receiving a radio alert regarding the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

"My engineer informed me three laps earlier, 'they're in a fierce battle.'"

George Russell received a message over the team radio indicating that he had the potential to win the F1 Austrian Grand Prix, prior to Lando Norris’ premature exit from the race.

McLaren's Norris was in contention for a win but his race concluded prematurely following a collision with Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The contentious event paved the way for Russell of Mercedes to secure his second win in a Formula 1 grand prix.

Russell mentioned that his main goal was to concentrate on optimizing his driving performance when Verstappen and Norris eventually appeared in front of him.

Marcus, my engineer, mentioned three laps earlier, 'they're battling intensely, and we have a chance to win this'.

"I told them that we should focus on securing third place first and let me take the wheel, as I was aware that Oscar was quickly closing in from behind."

"Once I took the lead, I realized the final six laps would be tough."

"My tires were challenging. The VSC provided some relief as it helped cool them down when they were overheating."

"Winning a race in this way feels quite unusual, definitely. However, as I mentioned before, that's just how racing is. Sometimes things don't go in your favor."

“I believe we may have lost a couple of chances to win.”

"Montreal ended in our favor, and perhaps Singapore could have had a different outcome last year. Today, luck was on our side. That's just how things turn out sometimes."

Russell had to fend off a challenge from McLaren's Oscar Piastri to secure his victory at the Red Bull Ring.

Russell confessed that he genuinely believed the catch would be made.

"However, there's a difference between catching up and actually passing."

"Yesterday, Carlos was right behind me with DRS for 10 laps, and I spent about eight laps following him with my DRS. Overtaking wasn't easy."

"I reminded myself to stick to my strengths and avoid any unnecessary risks to secure the victory."

George Russell comments on the offset strategy

Regarding the last few laps without Verstappen and Norris, Russell remarked, "The main challenge was that we were catching up to several backmarkers and had to deal with them frequently."

“If you’re lucky with your positioning, you can activate DRS after the first turn, again at turn three, and once more at turn four, potentially gaining six-tenths of a second.”

"If luck isn't on your side, you might lose up to six-tenths of a second. This could mean a time difference of 1.2 seconds depending on where you encounter the slower drivers."

"Having just a two-second gap between Oscar and me was likely the most stressful moment."

Russell acclaimed his victory as the most strategically sound performance Mercedes has provided for him this entire season.

"Absolutely, I believe we carried out everything perfectly," he stated.

"I believe we made the most out of each session and achieved the highest qualifying positions we realistically could."

"The race starts have been strong. Yesterday, finishing in fourth place was the best possible outcome. Today, third place was realistically the highest and most deserved result."

"The team really put in a lot of effort, so it's great to see them being recognized for their dedication."

Russell employed a tactical offset and switched to medium tires during the middle of the race. He was questioned whether this choice benefited him in the final laps against Piastri.

“To tell the truth, I don’t believe it was beneficial in the slightest,” he responded.

"I believe it's challenging. We decided to diversify our approach with Lewis in order to experiment with different tactics."

"You can never predict the outcome of the race, as Virtual Safety Cars play a significant role."

"The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) towards the end was really beneficial for me. It helped me lower the temperature of my tires, and for the final five laps, my speed matched Oscar's even though he was on medium tires.

The car has been performing well lately. We acknowledge there's still some work ahead to remain competitive for podium finishes consistently. However, comparing our progress with Ferrari and Aston Martin since Bahrain, the improvements have been significant.

Russell commented on his journey to winning: "The wind conditions were intense, and I noticed the car behaving oddly as I drove to the starting line."

"We reviewed all aspects and found no issues, but the speed seemed intense."

"Lewis challenged me early in the race, but after overtaking him again, I managed to create a small lead over Carlos."

"I was aware that Oscar would be fast, and he kind of appeared unexpectedly near the end of the race."

"Racing on those hard tires was quite challenging for me. Out of nowhere, Toto started yelling in my ear that I could win this, and it was so loud I nearly crashed. But I believe it really highlights the shared passion within our team. The past couple of years have been tough, so it feels amazing to be back in the top spot."

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