By F1 correspondent Michael Butterworth
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Mercedes' George Russell claimed his second Formula 1 victory of 2026 by winning Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, cutting 10 points from teammate Kimi Antonelli's championship lead.
It was Russell's first win since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and ended a difficult spell that had left him 68 points behind Antonelli, who had won five consecutive races from China through Monaco to seize the championship lead.
In sweltering heat at the Red Bull Ring in the Styrian hills, Russell started from pole despite having to lift for a yellow flag on his final and fastest qualifying lap after Max Verstappen spun into the gravel.
Antonelli, by contrast, lined up fourth after aborting his final lap because he mistakenly believed double yellow flags had been waved, which would have invalidated his time.
The Italian also missed a golden opportunity to gain ground during the race after pitting just as Carlos Sainz's retirement on the start-finish straight triggered a virtual safety car. The VSC was deployed only after Antonelli had completed his pit stop, denying him the chance to close on Russell, whose lead was never seriously threatened.
"Incredible to be back on the top step. It's been a little while, so I will definitely enjoy this one this evening!" Russell said.
"A lot of hard work with my team got us back on track. Obviously it was a tricky run of form at one point.
"I had to push every single lap and I knew how quick the guys were behind. Kimi has been extraordinarily quick this season, so every lap I was looking at the timing board.
"We pitted on the early side for the last stop, so I knew it would be a long stint, but the team timed it to perfection."
Behind Russell, Verstappen secured his and Red Bull's best result of a challenging season by finishing second, just holding off a charging Antonelli in third. The Dutchman also rolled back the years with a thrilling early-race battle against Lewis Hamilton that recalled their 2021 title fight.
Antonelli closed rapidly in the closing laps, with less than two seconds separating the top three at the chequered flag.
Oscar Piastri finished fourth for McLaren ahead of Ferrari's Hamilton, who again opted for the three-stop strategy that had carried him to victory last time out in Spain. Ferrari, however, appeared to struggle more than its rivals with tyre wear and faded as the race progressed. Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc dropped to eighth and lamented the condition of his tyres over team radio.
Isack Hadjar finished sixth for Red Bull, ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the points in ninth and 10th, giving Racing Bulls its second consecutive double points finish.
Antonelli still leads the drivers' championship with 171 points, but Russell's victory lifts him to second and within 40 points of the Italian, while Hamilton slips to third, a further six points behind.
In the constructors' standings, Mercedes leads with 302 points, ahead of Ferrari on 204 and McLaren on 159.
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues next weekend with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. ■
