George Russell claimed his second victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season after converting pole position into a controlled win at the Austrian Grand Prix, holding off Max Verstappen and championship leader Kimi Antonelli at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, June 28.
The Mercedes driver led all 71 laps in Spielberg and withstood late pressure from Verstappen to cross the finish line just 1.611 seconds ahead of the Red Bull driver. Antonelli completed a Mercedes double podium in third, finishing less than two seconds behind Russell while extending his lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
Oscar Piastri finished fourth for McLaren, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in fifth. Isack Hadjar delivered another strong result in sixth, with Lando Norris taking seventh. Monaco’s Charles Leclerc finished eighth after starting on the front row, enduring a difficult afternoon as Ferrari struggled to convert its promising qualifying pace into race performance. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.
Russell’s victory marks his first since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and cuts Antonelli’s championship advantage to 40 points heading into next weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Mercedes also strengthened its position at the top of the Constructors’ Championship following another impressive team performance.