George Russel took the flag for his second career victory at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix after a controversial end for Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Verstappen and Norris were starting alongside each other yet again at the Austrian Grand Prix. The duo have found themselves battling in the last few rounds and no doubt were ready to fight again.
Zhou Guanyu was the only driver on hard tyres, everyone else starting on mediums. This choice was because the Chinese driver was starting the race from the pits due to setup changes.
The Start
Verstappen had a strong start, leading Norris comfortably, as Norris had to defend against Russell up to turn 3. Lewis Hamilton overtook Carlos Sainz for 4th but ran off the track.
Charles Leclerc’s difficult weekend continued as he was sandwiched between Pérez and Piastri at turn 1, Piastri clipping Leclerc’s front wing. Leclerc was forced into the pits, dropping him to P19. Logan Sargeant headed into the pits and switched to hards.
For Red Bull, a crucial moment occurred when Pérez passed Piastri at turn 4, squeezing him towards the gravel and moving into 6th.
At the end of the first lap, Haas found themselves in P9 and P10, an impressive start for the drivers who had been having a strong weekend.
Lewis Hamilton made an early charge, passing Russell at turn 3 with DRS on lap 3, but Russell reclaimed the position in the next DRS zone at turn 4. Three laps later, Sainz took P4 from Hamilton after Mercedes instructed Hamilton to relinquish the spot because of his advantage gained at the start.
Oscar Piastri executed an impressive move on Sergio Pérez at turn 6 on lap 7 for P6. Haas and Red Bull pitted at the end of lap 10 with Magnussen and Ricciardo. Hülkenberg and Alonso followed a lap later, but Hülkenberg lost out to his teammate due to a slow pit stop. He regained the position into turn 4.
Zhou Guanyu was hit by Fernando Alonso at turn 3 as they battled for P13, but he avoided significant damage. Alonso received a 10-second penalty.
The First Pits
The leaders began to pit from lap 20. Lewis Hamilton incurred a 5-second penalty for crossing the white line on pit entry due to oversteer. Following the pit stops, the top 10 were Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Piastri, Hülkenberg, Pérez, Magnussen, and Ricciardo. Pérez overtook Hülkenberg on lap 27 for P7 with fresher tires.
The Alpines found themselves stuck behind Daniel Ricciardo, unable to pass Fernando Alonso because of a DRS train. Sergio Pérez was penalized with a 5 second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Alonso lost DRS on lap 35, allowing Ocon and Gasly to overtake him at turns 1 and 3. Ocon ran Gasly wide at turn 3, but no damage occurred.
Yuki Tsunoda made a bold move on Alex Albon at turn 3 for P13. Ricciardo initiated the second round of pit stops for the lower points positions, but his undercut attempt on Magnussen failed.
On lap 40, the Alpines battled, with Gasly sweeping around the outside of Ocon at turn 4 after defending into turn 3. Alex Albon joined Hamilton in receiving a 5-second penalty for pit entry violations.
Russell and Sainz pitted on laps 46 and 47, rejoining in P5 and P6, respectively. Max Verstappen pitted from the lead at the end of lap 51, suffering a slow 6.5-second stop due to an issue with the left rear. This allowed Norris to get within DRS range and challenge him.
The Final Laps
Norris attempted a move on lap 55 but was aggressively defended by Verstappen. The battle intensified on lap 59 when Norris made a bold move at turn 3 but ran off the track and had to give the place back. A penalty for Norris seemed inevitable after receiving a black-and-white flag for track limits.
Three laps later, Norris forced Verstappen off the track at turn 3 during an attempted overtake. The tension peaked on lap 64, two collided at turn 3 as Verstappen defended, resulting in damage for both. Norris retired while Verstappen continued after pitting and rejoined in P5 but was penalized 10 seconds for the incident.
Oscar Piastri used fresh tires to pass Carlos Sainz for P2 with a switchback move at turn 4. On the final lap, Pérez overtook Hülkenberg at turn 3, but the German retook P6 with DRS at turn 4.
In a dramatic and controversial ending, George Russell claimed his second career win, followed by Piastri and Sainz on the podium. Hamilton, Verstappen, Hülkenberg, Pérez, Magnussen, Ricciardo, and Gasly rounded out the points of scorers.
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