Russell edges Verstappen by seconds to win Austrian GP

• Photo courtesy of George Russell

George Russell held on to a narrow victory at the Formula 1 Lenovo Austrian Grand Prix 2026, beating Max Verstappen by just seconds in a tight finish at the Red Bull Ring.

Russell topped the race classification for Mercedes with a winning time of 1:26:37.979, securing 25 points after a close fight at the front. Verstappen finished second for Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford, only 1.611 seconds behind, while Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli completed the podium in third, just 1.986 seconds off Russell.

The close gap highlighted how intense the race became in the final classification, with the top three separated by less than two seconds.

One of the race highlights came on Lap 12, when Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen battled on track, exciting fans as the two drivers fought for position.

Oscar Piastri finished fourth for McLaren Mercedes, 21.809 seconds behind Russell, while Hamilton placed fifth for Ferrari with a 26.393-second gap.

Isack Hadjar came in sixth for Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford, followed by Lando Norris in seventh for McLaren Mercedes. Charles Leclerc finished eighth for Ferrari, while Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10 for Racing Bulls Red Bull Ford.

The race also saw several retirements. Both Cadillac entries were forced out after their cars overheated, while Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll also retired from the Grand Prix.

Russell’s win gave Mercedes a major boost in Austria, with Antonelli’s third-place finish handing the team a double-podium result in one of the closest races of the season.