George Russell Ends Mercedes’ Win Drought Following Verstappen-Norris Crash

Russell secures surprise win in Austria after dramatic Verstappen-Norris collision during battle for the lead.

Lee Parker

By Lee Parker
Updated on October 10, 2024

George Russell Wins For Mercedes 2024 Austrian Grand Prix
George Russell (Car 63) wins the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes.

George Russell capitalised on a dramatic turn of events to secure an unexpected victory at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided in a heated battle for the lead in the race’s closing stages.

A rare slow pit stop for race leader Verstappen during the second round of stops changed the race’s dynamics, bringing Norris, who had been six seconds behind, right onto Verstappen’s tail in the closing laps. This set the stage for Norris to launch several attempts to overtake.

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Norris had already expressed frustration twice over what he considered Verstappen’s “unfair” defence, while Verstappen accused Norris of making overly ambitious moves. The tension culminated in a controversial collision on lap 64 as Norris attempted another overtaking manoeuvre.

As the McLaren attempted to go around the outside of the Red Bull into the Turn Three braking zone, the two cars touched rear wheels. Both suffered punctures and veered into the run-off area. They then headed to the pits with their damaged cars.

Norris was unable to continue and dropped out of the race, while Verstappen returned to the track and finished in fifth place. The stewards found Verstappen at fault for the collision and handed him a 10-second time penalty, although it did not affect his fifth-place result.

Russell, who had been running third for most of the race, gleefully took over the lead and completed the final laps to secure his second career win in F1 and Mercedes’ first since November 2022.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished a close second, reflecting on what might have been after dropping from third to seventh on the grid due to a track limits penalty on Saturday, which he and his team had vehemently disputed.

Carlos Sainz secured the final podium spot, beating Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, who had battled teammate Russell for third in the opening laps before falling back, had earlier served a five-second penalty for crossing the white line entering his first pit stop.

It was a sensational day for the Haas team, with Nico Hulkenberg finishing sixth and teammate Kevin Magnussen eighth, sandwiching Sergio Perez, whose struggles in the second Red Bull continued. This bumper points haul moved Haas into seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Despite finishing only fifth, Verstappen’s championship lead over Norris increased to 81 points due to Norris’ retirement, ahead of the 2024 British Grand Prix at Silverstone the following week.

2024 Austrian Grand Prix Results

2024 Austrian Grand Prix, 30 June 2024

PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/RetiredPTS
163George RussellMercedes711:24:22.79825
281Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes71+1.906s18
355Carlos SainzFerrari71+4.533s15
444Lewis HamiltonMercedes71+23.142s12
51Max Verstappen1Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT71+37.253s10
627Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari71+54.088s8
711Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT71+54.672s6
820Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari71+60.355s4
93Daniel RicciardoRB Honda RBPT71+61.169s2
1010Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault71+61.766s1
1116Charles LeclercFerrari71+67.056s0
1231Esteban OconAlpine Renault71+68.325s0
1318Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes70+1 lap0
1422Yuki TsunodaRB Honda RBPT70+1 lap0
1523Alexander Albon2Williams Mercedes70+1 lap0
1677Valtteri BottasKick Sauber Ferrari70+1 lap0
1724Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber Ferrari70+1 lap0
1814Fernando Alonso3Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes70+1 lap0
192Logan SargeantWilliams Mercedes69+2 laps0
204Lando Norris4McLaren Mercedes64+7 laps0
1Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.
2Albon received a five-second time penalty for crossing the line at pit entry.
3Fastest lap: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes) – 1:07.694 (lap 70)
4Norris received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track without a justifiable reason multiple times.

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About The Author

Senior Editor

Lee Parker
Lee Parker

Lee is our staff writer specialising in anything technical within Formula 1 from aerodynamics to engines. Lee writes most of our F1 guides for beginners and experienced fans having followed the sports since 1991, researching and understanding how teams build the ultimate machines. Like everyone else on the team he listens to podcasts about F1 and enjoys reading biographies of former drivers.

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