Max Verstappen proved there is pace in the RB22 at theĀ Austrian Grand PrixĀ on Sunday, putting up a fight before being beaten to the top spot on the podium by Mercedes.
The four-time champion and Red Bull home hero dangled a first grand prix win of the year in front of the Orange Army in the Austrian grandstands, but didn’t manage to improve upon P2 after piling the pressure ontoĀ George RussellĀ andĀ Lewis HamiltonĀ earlier in the race.
AfterĀ setting the pace in Barcelona with Hamilton, Ferrari suffered greatly with tyre degradation in Spielberg, forcing the seven-time champion to settle for P5 as his team-mate Charles Leclerc just managed to cling onto P8.
Hamilton and Verstappen rolled back the years on Sunday withĀ a nail-biting scrap for second, with the Dutchman securing the finishing position of runner-up in the long run.
But it was the Mercedes of George Russell who crossed the line first at the Red Bull Ring, taking the chequered flag for the first time since the season-opening Australian GP andĀ overtaking Hamilton in the championship standingsĀ as a result.
Russell’s team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli had to settle for P3, with Verstappen doing a magnificent job of splitting the dominant Silver Arrows as the Italian teenager attempted to hunt down his Red Bull right to the line.
Verstappen clinched P2 by just three tenths of a second.
McLarenĀ star Oscar Piastri once again snuck into the top five as team-mate and reigning drivers’ title holderĀ Lando NorrisĀ could only manage a P7 finish.
New team Cadillac once again suffered a double retirement afterĀ Valtteri Bottas’ brakes caught fireĀ and Sergio Perez reported smoke in the cockpit once again, with both drivers ruled out of the race after just five laps.
But they werenāt alone, the European heatwave appeared to play havoc with Liam Lawson’s car and Hamilton’sĀ Ferrari. The 41-year-old had to change PU mode to cool down his SF-26 and Lawson could be heard saying over team radio early on: “Iāve got fire in my car.”
Unlike the Cadillacs, both drivers made it to the chequered flag despite their vehicles overheating.
Where other retirements were concerned,Ā Carlos SainzĀ was ruled out of the Austrian GP after stopping on track due to a mechanical issue on lap 24, whilstĀ Lance StrollĀ picked up his fifth DNF of the campaign due to a suspected ERS issue with his Aston Martin.
F1 Results: Austrian Grand Prix 2026
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | WINNER |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +1.611sec |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.986sec |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +21.809sec |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +26.393sec |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +29.399sec |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +31.505sec |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +45.659sec |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1 LAP |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1 LAP |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1 LAP |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1 LAP |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 LAP |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1 LAP |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1 LAP |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +2 LAPS |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | +2 LAPS |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +3 LAPS |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | DNF |
| 20 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | DNF |
| 21 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | DNF |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | DNF |
