George Russell received Method 1’s 2024 Austrian Grand Prix that was reworked dramatically when long-time chief Max Verstappen collided with long-time pursuer Lando Norris.
The Pink Bull and McLaren pair made contact on the Pink Bull Ring’s tight, uphill Flip 3 with seven laps of the 71-lap contest remaining, Norris having dramatically lower into Verstappen’s lead after the Dutchman had suffered a protracted second cease.
A number of occasions Norris attacked at Flip 3 all whereas accruing monitor limits strikes throughout his chase to get into and stay in Verstappen’s DRS vary.
On lap 59, Norris dived to the within and locked up as Verstappen moved throughout, which meant the McLaren slid off into the runoff and let the Pink Bull by on the run to Flip 4.
This was not sufficient to cease Norris getting a five-second time addition for traversing monitor limits a fourth time in his off, however this didn’t matter because the pair got here to blows even earlier than it was dished out.
On lap 64, Norris moved to Verstappen’s exterior as Flip 3 approached and when the Pink Bull moved left, they touched and each went off with punctures.
Every needed to pit, Norris pressured to retire with injury to this rear ground, which meant Russell, who had been third for the entire race behind the highest two, inherited the lead.
Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battle for the lead
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
A brief digital security automobile was required to clear particles from the monitor with Russell lapping a number of seconds forward of Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz, however within the closing excursions the Mercedes driver maintained his result in safe a second F1 profession GP win.
Initially, Verstappen made a clean getaway from pole and simply ran away from Norris within the first stint. McLaren tried to reassure its cost his additional set of medium tyres would make the distinction afterward, as Pink Bull appeared set to make use of to hards after the mediums the entire subject had began on.
However that appeared a faint hope as Verstappen merely romped clear throughout the primary stint – his lead approaching six seconds earlier than he pitted on lap 23 to take the hards.
Norris got here in on the similar time, with the Pink Bull being launched into his path and forcing the McLaren to brake as he approached his pitbox in an incident race management reviewed however determined was not price referring to the stewards.
Within the second stint, Verstappen once more pulled clear, though not as rapidly in stint one, together with his lead reaching a most of eight seconds simply previous half distance.
Right here Norris began to take time again, with Verstappen struggling to maintain the hards alive and even preserve the lapped Haas automobiles behind him at this stage.
Pink Bull stored Verstappen out for longer than he wished, earlier than he was pulled in to take used mediums as his lead got here down to six.5s – his pre-race additional set of hards eschewed – on lap 51 concurrently Norris got here in behind.
A gradual left-rear change after which a conservative launch this time meant Verstappen’s earlier lead was all of the sudden diminished to underneath two seconds, with Norris pushing laborious to get into DRS and kicking off all of the drama that was to comply with.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, within the pits
Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Behind Russell, Piastri completed 1.9s adrift of a shock victor, with Sainz third – having been overtaken by the McLaren when Piastri pulled a daring around-the-outside transfer at Flip 6 simply after the Verstappen/Norris conflict.
Lewis Hamilton completed fourth – his race that includes a 5s time penalty for crossing the pit entry line at his first cease, the seven-time world champion choosing ground injury hitting the Flip 8 kerbs too laborious and Piastri passing him by late within the second stint.
Verstappen made it house in fifth, with a 10s time addition for inflicting the collision with Norris within the stewards’ view.
Nico Hulkenberg beat Sergio Perez to sixth, with Kevin Magnussen eighth in a double factors end for Haas in a race the place its drivers battled one another laborious early on.
Daniel Ricciardo took ninth for RB and Pierre Gasly rounded out the highest 10 after prevailing in an in depth and laborious mid-race scrap together with his Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon.