The winner is always right
No matter that he wasn't really in the running for the win up until Max Verstappen and Lando Norris knocked themselves out of contention, he was there when it mattered. George Russell was a deserved winner of the Austrian Grand Prix, precisely because he was there, unlike his highly rated team-mate Lewis Hamilton or the two Ferrari drivers. Also out of contention, the young up-and-coming Australian who is no doubt still ruing the penalty inflicted on him yesterday after qualifying, which cost him third place on the grid. Given the pace he showed this afternoon, the McLaren man could have seriously aspired to standing on the top step of the podium.
“Who would have thought it back in Bahrain,” said Russell over the team radio on his cooldown lap. It's true that after the first race of the season, it was difficult to imagine Mercedes winning anything this year, but the team run by Toto Wolff never gave up and step by step fought its way back. It's definitely not the quickest car, but over the past three races, it has closed the gap to Red Bull Racing and moved ahead of Ferrari. That explains why, from those last three races in Canada, Spain and now Austria, the Brackley team has picked up 100 points, which is more than any other: McLaren has racked up 84, Red Bull Racing 79 and Ferrari only 31.
In Montreal, Russell's hopes were raised, taking pole position followed by a third place and then in Barcelona, he was able to keep the Ferrari pair behind him, which he did again yesterday in the Sprint. Then today, there he was, in a solid third place when Norris and Verstappen clashed on lap 64. Sainz was three seconds behind the Mercedes driver, but he was more concerned with fending off a charging Piastri than with attacking the 63 Mercedes. Sainz was right to look in his mirrors as Piastri soon flew past him and then set off in pursuit of Russell. The VSC also gave the Englishman a helping hand, dampening the Australian's ardour, after which George safely navigated the final laps, ending the longest period without a win that Mercedes had ever endured since the start of Formula 1's hybrid era.
The last three pointed star victory dated back to the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, also courtesy of Russell. He will be proud of that and his boss Toto Wolff will also derive satisfaction from the fact that the team's last two wins were scored by the younger of his two English drivers, given that Sir Lewis is off to pastures new next year, seduced by the Maranello sirens.
