George Russell wins Austrian GP, climbs to second

George Russell of Mercedes won the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, June 28, securing his second victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Starting from pole position at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Russell held off a late charge from Max Verstappen of Red Bull to win by 1.6 seconds. Russell’s teammate, championship leader Kimi Antonelli, completed the podium in third place.

The result reshuffled the drivers’ standings, with Russell moving into second place with 131 points. Antonelli maintained his lead but now holds a 40-point advantage over Russell. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, who won the previous race in Spain, finished fifth. His teammate Charles Leclerc struggled with tire management and fell to eighth.

Verstappen’s second-place finish marked Red Bull’s most competitive outing of the season following a significant upgrade package. The Dutchman, who started fifth, engaged in a mid-race battle with Hamilton and closed on Russell in the final stint but ran out of laps to attempt a pass. Despite the strong result, Verstappen expressed caution about his championship prospects, noting he remains 98 points behind Antonelli and seventh in the standings. He said the team still needs to...