Austrian GP takeaways: Max-Lando feud gives Russell moment to shine
We offer our takeaways following each race weekend this year and continue the 2024 schedule with the Austrian GP.
Moments that decided the race ?
Norris, Verstappen come to blows
What looked like a predictable 1-2 podium between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris ended up with two damaged cars, a race retirement, and perhaps a fractured friendship between the two rivals.
It all boiled over at Turn 3 on Lap 64. With Norris increasingly on the tail of Verstappen, the McLaren driver made a move on the outside of the Red Bull before Verstappen slightly crept his car back left. The contact left both drivers with punctured tires, forcing them to the pits.
The stewards determined Verstappen moving to the left before the corner caused a collision and ruled him “predominantly at fault.” He was penalized with a 10-second penalty, leaving him to finish fifth after pitting for new tires. However, Norris received a crueler punishment, being forced to retire from the race and surrendering 10 points to Verstappen, more than he would have if he finished second.
Though the incident itself fell solely on Verstappen according to the stewards, there was a lot of blame to go around for the events leading to the incident. Red Bull’s uncharacteristic slow 6.5-second pitstop on Lap 51 wiped out a 7-plus-second lead and put him in the jaws of Norris. It was a costly mistake from Red Bull as without it, perhaps the clock runs out on Norris – who had a pace advantage on his final stint – before any potential collision could happen.
Norris also was served a black and white flag warning for track limits in his chase. The British driver attempted many opportunistic moves but made a critical mistake on Lap 59 when he went off track when overtaking Verstappen. A five-second penalty seemed inevitable, but the decision came late. It’s not unreasonable to believe a timely enforced penalty would have negated the need for a tense wheel-to-wheel battle.
While the collision handed victory in Austria to Mercedes’ George Russell, it also turned the Verstappen-Norris rivalry on its head. The duo have raced as friendly combatants maybe for the last time. The gloves are now off.
“I just expected a bit more from him,” Norris said after the race.
Russell the benefactor
While we wait to see if Norris and Verstappen can salvage their friendship, Russell gets to celebrate.
It’s been a long drought for the once-dominant Mercedes. The last time the Silver Arrows sent a driver to the podium’s top step was way back in Sao Paulo in 2022 when Russell led a Mercedes 1-2 finish alongside Lewis Hamilton.
Perhaps most importantly, the victory shows some maturity from the 26-year-old Russell, who figures to be Mercedes’ top driver in mere months once the seven-time champ Hamilton officially jets for Ferrari.
“You’ve got to be there in the end to pick up the pieces, and that’s where we were,” the young Brit said after spending the vast majority of the race in a distant third place before taking it home thanks to the Norris-Verstappen spat.
Once that happened, it wasn’t clinical for Russell, either. He still had to hold off a hard-charging Oscar Piastri on newer tires, but he ultimately beat the young Aussie by nearly two seconds.
That’s a version of Russell that F1 fans haven’t seen nearly enough of at this point in his career and that Mercedes frankly needed to see. Remember, back in 2023, we witnessed Russell put his car in the wall on the final lap in Singapore while staring down a podium finish at worst and what could’ve easily been a victory. Earlier this year, Russell made a similar miscue, ramming the barrier on the penultimate lap of the Australian GP while attempting to chase down Fernando Alonso for a sixth-place finish.
When the pressure is on, Russell, now in his third year with Merc and sixth in F1, has lacked poise. On Sunday, though, that wasn’t the case. Faced with an imminent Hamilton-less future, that’s music to Toto Wolff’s ears.
Driver of the Day ?
Nico Hulkenberg: It was a true team weekend for Haas, and Hulkenberg led the way. Starting from P9, he slowly chipped away at his competitors with help from teammate Kevin Magnussen to land P6. After Magnussen made a mistake near the beginning of the final lap, the German driver deliberately let Red Bull’s Sergio Perez pass him. Hulkenberg then took advantage of the slipstream Perez created to overtake the Mexican driver and reclaim P6. He earned his highest grid position since 2019 when he drove for Renault. The American constructors have shown glimmers of hope throughout the past couple of races. With Hulk proving that he can defend and pass a Red Bull, the drivers’ championship may soon reflect the squad’s improvements.
They said what? ??
Norris on if friendship with Verstappen can be salvaged after their collision: “It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, then I will lose a lot of respect for that. If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and being a bit reckless in a way, then I will lose only a small amount of respect for him. It’s a tough one to take when fighting for the win. I was trying to be fair from my side, and he just wasn’t.”
Verstappen on how to address the incident: “We will talk about it. Not now. It is not the right time. Better to cool down. We are racing drivers. Lando and I, we have a little age gap, and that is why we never really raced against each other in lower categories unlike some of the other drivers. But we will move on.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella on who is to blame for the incident between Verstappen and Norris: “I see that the entire population of the world would know who is responsible, except for a group of people.”
Wolff on bothering Russell over team radio while in a braking zone: “That was the dumbest thing I have done in 12 years at Mercedes. I will forever be ashamed of this. You look at where you message the driver. You don’t do it on braking or high-speed corners. But I didn’t look at where he was, and I saw (Verstappen and Norris) taking each other out, and I just emotionally pushed the button and said: ‘We can win this.'”
Verstappen on the ongoing feud between his father Jos and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner: “(It’s) not nice – not for myself, not for my dad, not for Christian, not for the team. … This scenario could have been avoided.”
Verstappen on whether he will drive for Red Bull going forward despite the ongoing feud between Jos and Horner: “Yes. We’re already also working on next year’s car, you know. I think when you’re very focused on that, that means that you’re also driving for the team.”
Piastri on a podium finish not being enough: “There’s a lot of what-ifs and maybes. Obviously, starting from yesterday, I know it’s only my fourth podium in F1, so close to a win, it hurts. I think second half of the race, we were coming on pretty strong. I am happy with another podium. When it’s that close, you can’t help but hurt a bit.”
What’s next?
The races keep rolling on as we head to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on July 7 at 10 a.m. ET.
The circuit’s featured three different winners – Verstappen (2023), Carlos Sainz (2022), and Hamilton (2021) – over the last three races. Hamilton’s won seven of the last 10 British GPs.
