Race recap: Frontrunners Norris and Verstappen clash in action-packed Austrian race while Russell wins
02 July 2024Once again, it was the British drivers who took centre stage in Austria as frontrunner Lando Norris crashed out after contact with reigning champion Max Verstappen. The incident took place just seven laps from the end, wrecking both drivers' chances of a podium place, while allowing Mercedes' George Russell to slip into the lead and claim his second victory in his Formula One career. Diving into the details ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on the 7th July, here are all the highlights and what we learned from the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
Norris and Verstappen tension boils over in dramatic battle for the lead
Since the start of the 2024 season, both reigning champion Max Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris have risen to the top as F1's front runners. Both good friends off-track, Norris has progressively closed in on the Dutchman's lead this season, with the battle between them emerging as source of great entertainment. But in Austria, the tension between the two boiled over when, just seven laps from the end, they came together, picking up punctures and returning to the pits as a result. While Norris had sustained too much damage to continue, Verstappen rejoined the race but was handed a 10-second time penalty for causing the incident. Despite this, he held onto his position of fifth.
"I just feel let down," said Norris after the race. "A lot of damage on the car, the car's completely destroyed now.
"You want to keep driving, and if I got back to the pits in a better way I could have probably gone out and got some points, but the car was too badly broken. I don't know what I'm meant to say. I did all I could, I gave a fair, respectful, on-the-edge battle, but that's not what I got in return.
"I did nothing wrong – he was the one in the wrong," insisted Norris, blaming Verstappen.
For the reigning champion, still comfortably in the standings lead with 237 points to Norris' 156, the Dutchman was characteristically matter-of-fact about the incident with his friend and main rival.
"It's of course unfortunate - stuff that you don't want to see happening – it's as simple as that," said Verstappen.
Leaping to Norris' defense, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella was quick to comment on the matter, disagreeing with Red Bull Team Principal, Horner, who blamed the Brit for what happened.
"The entire population in the world [knows] who is responsible – except for a group of people," said Stella. "But the problem behind it is that if you don't address these things honestly, then it will come back," referencing a similar incident when Verstappen was battling with Hamilton in the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix.
With Norris leaving Austria point-less, the Brit will be hoping for more luck in his home race at Silverstone on the 7th July.
Russell swoops in to take the win
While Norris and Verstappen were limping back to the pits, Mercedes George Russell swooped in from third, eventually taking the win after holding off an ambitious Oscar Piastri in second. The victory in Austria was Russell's second win in his F1 career and Mercedes first win since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, 33 races ago.
"Yeah, incredible," Russell said immediately after the race. "I think it was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race just to hold onto that P3.
"I saw on the TV that Max and Lando were going pretty hard [in their battle for the lead]. I knew Lando would want to try and get that race win.
"But the team have done an amazing job to get us in this fight. You've got be there at the end to pick up the pieces, and that's where we were!"
Mercedes becomes the fourth different constructor to win this year, with Lewis Hamilton close behind in fourth - his third consecutive top-four finish.
"[I'm] just so proud to be back on the top step," said Russell. "The team have worked so hard, we've made so many strides since the start of the season. The last three races have been incredible, so more to come!"
Speaking ahead of his home race at Silverstone on the 7th, Russell hopes Mercedes can continue to find their form in front of a British crowd.
"I think we're riding a bit of a wave at the moment... these last three races have been incredible."
Piastri second but 'disappointed' to miss out on the win
Despite capitalising on Norris and Verstappen dropping out of the race, McLaren's Oscar Piastri admitted he was a little "hurt" after narrowly missing out on the win to George Russell.
Just 1.906s seconds separated race winner George Russell and Piastri on the finish line, after the Australian driver had climbed up from his starting position of seventh. After overtaking Ferrari's Carlos Sainz for P2 moments after the Norris and Verstappen clash, Piastri was in a position to challenge for the lead. Hunting down Russell's Mercedes, Piastri couldn't get close enough to the Brit, settling for second and his fourth podium in his F1 career.
"I think second half of the race we were coming on pretty strong and I'm happy with another podium – just when it's that close you can't help but hurt a little bit," he said after the race.
With fond memories of McLaren's outing to Silverstone last year, Piastri is confident about their prospects in the British Grand Prix. "Obviously it was a place of good memories from last year, and hopefully we can be up the front again.
"I think we're well and truly in the mix. Silverstone's a track I always enjoy, it's the team's home race, so I'm excited for what's to come."
