Oscar Piastri benefitted from a controversial collision for the lead between his McLaren teammate Lando Norris and Max Verstappen to finish second at the Austrian Grand Prix.
It was the third second-place finish of Piastri’s career, and Russell’s first race win since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo scored his second grand prix points finish of the season in ninth.
But it was the collision between Norris and Verstappen with seven laps to go that dominated talking points.
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Norris was trying to take the lead from Verstappen with just seven laps remaining when the pair came together at the tight turn three hairpin.
Norris moved to the outside of Verstappen’s Red Bull, before the Dutchman moved to the left approaching the corner. They made wheel-to-wheel contact, and left both with punctures.
Both drivers limped back to the pits. While Verstappen was able to fit a new set of soft tyres and make it to the checquered flag in fifth, Norris retired from the race.
The flashpoint provided Russell, who was sitting in third place, 15 seconds back, to assume the lead. Piastri was fourth at the time and catching Russell, but wasn’t able to bridge the gap in the closing laps to challenge for the victory.
The Ferrari of Carlos Sainz was third, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen.
The stewards ruled Verstappen was “predominantly” at fault and slapped him with a 10-second time penalty for the incident, although the gap back to Nico Hulkenberg in sixth was so big it had no effect on his finishing position.
After the race began a war of words between the two drivers. Norris and Verstappen have been friends off track for much of their career, although their increasing on-track rivalry will no doubt test that off-track friendship.
Norris on team radio accused Verstappen of moving under brakes, a big no-no, but the Dutchman disagreed.
“Of course from the outside it’s hard to see when I brake,” he told Sky Sports after the race.
“I know of course in the past that’s always been a bit of a complaint, but now I always move my wheel before I brake, and then you brake in a straight line.
“It’s always easy to say from the outside that I’m moving under braking, but I think the guy in the car knows best what he’s doing.
“Everyone can have their own opinion, but I’m the one driving, so I think I’m best in control. Everyone can have their own opinion. From the outside it’s easy to judge and comment, but whatever, it’s what happens.”
Replays showed if Verstappen turned before he braked, it was negligible at best.
Norris wasn’t buying it.
“If he says he did nothing wrong, then I’d lose a lot of respect for that,” the Brit said.
“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and just being a bit reckless in a way, then I’d have a small amount of respect for him.
“But it’s still a tough one to take when we’re fighting for a win and trying to be fair from my side, and he just wasn’t.
“I can’t do so much. There are rules, and if the rules aren’t followed, there’s nothing I can do about that. I just have to do my job, which is to go out and drive fast and do what I was doing today, which was easily good enough for the win.”
The race had to that point been a processional affair. Verstappen held a lead of between six and seven seconds for much of the running, but the pair were brought together on track by a slow final pitstop for the Red Bull.
Red Bull was slow to bolt on the left-rear tire to allow Norris to take 4.5 seconds out of his seven-second lead.
On Lap 55, Norris made his bid for the lead at Turn 3 but Verstappen put his Red Bull on the apex to stay ahead.
“He reacted to my move and you are not allowed to do that,” Norris protested over the radio.
Three laps later, Norris launched his McLaren down the inside of Verstappen at the third bend but Verstappen swooped back ahead of the next turn.
“He cannot keep moving after I move,” Norris said. “It is just dangerous. We will have a big shunt.”
With eight laps to run, Norris tried again to take the lead. Verstappen ran off the road at the third corner in his defense and rejoined the asphalt with his lead still intact.
“He forced me off again,” Verstappen said. “He just divebombed me. That is not how you overtake.”
Verstappen was informed of his 10-second penalty and replied: “That is just ridiculous.”
Piastri’s drive to second was a brilliant recovery effort, having started seventh after his quickest lap in qualifying – which would’ve had him starting from third – was deleted for exceeding track limits.
He collided with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari at the first corner, but managed to escape without damage. Leclerc was forced to pit for a new front wing and could only recover to 11th.
Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg held off Red Bull’s Sergio Perez for sixth place with the other Haas of Kevin Magnussen in eighth. RB driver Daniel Ricciardo and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.
Verstappen has 237 points, ahead of second-place Norris with 156.
The F1 season continues at the British Grand Prix next Monday morning (AEST).