George Russell wins Austrian Grand Prix for second season victory

British driver George Russell secured his second win of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Austrian Grand Prix, driving for Mercedes. He started from pole position and held off Max Verstappen, who finished second, while teammate Kimi Antonelli completed the podium in third. Russell’s victory moved him to second place in the drivers’ standings with 131 points, behind Antonelli’s 171 and ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s 125.

The race featured unusually hot conditions that required drivers to wear cooling vests, and several incidents, including a fire on Valterri Bottas’s car and smoke from Sergio Perez. Russell said he adopted an “unusual” driving style to manage tyre wear on the hot Red Bull Ring circuit. His calm, strategic pace let him dominate the race despite pressure from Verstappen and the challenging weather.

The result tightens the championship battle, with Mercedes teammates now split on the leaderboard and Ferrari struggling, as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished eighth and fifth respectively.