Verstappen gains on rivals as Russell FUMES at Wolff - FIVE things you may have missed at the Austrian GP

George Russell grabbed an unlikely second win of his career at the Austrian Grand Prix after a dramatic collision between the two world championship protagonists.

Max Verstappen had been in full control of the race until Lando Norris closed the gap after the final round of pit stops and again produced an intense battle with the Red Bull.

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The two came to blows on lap 64 at turn three, leaving both with punctures. Norris retired from the race with further damage, too, whilst Verstappen re-joined the track on fresh rubber, but was handed a 10-second penalty for the incident.

George Russell was there to pick up the pieces, and the Brit held off a late charge from Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in second to take just his second victory in F1.

Carlos Sainz rounded off the podium in Spielberg after what was an utterly dramatic ending to the race.

Luckily, here at GPFans we had been keeping a close eye on proceedings and noted the best moments that may have gone under the radar.

Russell pre-race blunder

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He may have won the race, but it wasn't a completely error-free afternoon for Russell as he did have an off moment at the Red Bull Ring - before the race had even started!

At turn three - a place where all the action seemed to take place in Austria - the Brit locked up and went straight on into the outfield while making his way to the grid pre-race.

Russell returned to the pits before heading back out to the track, instructing his team to look at the steering rack when he lined up in his third-place grid slot.

It was soon discovered that a slight gust of wind caused the issue and the Mercedes driver was given the all clear to go out as his W15 was, thankfully in his case.

‘Let me f***ing drive!’

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The collision between Verstappen and Norris on lap 64 brought what was a fairly dull race alive as both drivers limped back to the pits with punctures.

Russell took over the lead following the drama, but viewers may have missed a hilarious moment over the Brit’s radio with team principal Toto Wolff.

After the virtual safety car was deployed, in what was already a high-pressure situation given he had taken a surprise lead, Wolff came over the radio to inform Russell: “George you can win this. You can win this George.”

The 26-year-old had a pretty straightforward response to this message: “Yeah, just let me f****** drive!”

While there was late pressure from the faster McLaren of Piastri, the Mercedes held on for his second career victory.

Verstappen extends championship lead

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Having led for 63 out of 71 laps in Austria, Verstappen will be left frustrated to come home across the line at Red Bull’s home race in fifth.

But, despite not being able to register what could have been his eighth win of the season, the Dutchman still managed to extend his lead in the drivers’ standings.

Aided by his championship rival Norris’ retirement, the three-time champion now holds an 81-point lead over the McLaren driver after scoring 10 points on his way to his defence of the title.

Norris was awarded driver of the day despite being the only driver not to finish the race, but that will not soften the blow one bit of his close friend and now rival pulling further out of reach at the top of the standings.

Haas record best result for two years

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In the midst of all the chaos at the front of the pack, one team that may have gone under the radar – not just in Austria but all season – is Haas.

Written off as one of the teams set to be at the back of the grid, the American outfit have surprised everyone with some solid performances and a few points finishes so far this campaign.

In Austria, the team recorded a double points finish with Nico Hulkenberg finishing sixth and Kevin Magnussen eighth in what was an excellent performance from the pair.

What many may not realise is that Hulkenberg’s eight points are in fact the team’s best result in two years. Back in 2022, Mick Schumacher came home to finish sixth in Austria in what was his best career finish in F1.

The team have struggled over the last few years, but with this encouraging result, it is safe to say Haas are heading in the right direction.

Alonso sets fastest lap

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At the other end of the grid, it was another dismal result for Aston Martin, as the Silverstone-based team scored no points in Spielberg.

Lance Stroll finished 13th while Fernando Alonso limped home in 18th with both drivers finishing a lap down in a miserable afternoon for the team.

But, rather surprisingly, it was the Spaniard who recorded the fastest lap of the race, albeit not being able to grab the solitary point for it due to finishing outside of the top 10.

In the final lap of the race, Alonso registered a 1:07:694 in what was probably the only small positive for the team as they fell further away from the top four in the constructors' standings.

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