RACE REPORT | F1 Austria 2026

George Russell converted pole position into victory at the Austrian Grand Prix after controlling a race interrupted only by a brief Virtual Safety Car. Max Verstappen held off a late charge from Kimi Antonelli to secure second place, while the extreme heat contributed to an early double retirement for Cadillac.

Most of the field lined up on medium tyres, and the start was clean with no significant incidents. Russell held onto the lead into the opening corners, while Kimi Antonelli ran wide at Turn 3, allowing Lewis Hamilton to move ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

The first retirements came early. On lap three, Valtteri Bottas reported that his Cadillac's brakes were on fire before pulling into retirement. Just two laps later, teammate Sergio Perez was forced to stop with the same issue, ending Cadillac's race after only five laps.

Liam Lawson then reported smoke from his car on lap four, although he was able to continue, while Russell steadily extended his advantage over Hamilton to nearly two seconds. Antonelli passed Leclerc on the run to Turn 10 on lap eight, and the battle between Verstappen and Hamilton heated up shortly afterwards. Verstappen briefly claimed fourth place at Turn 3 on lap 11, but Hamilton immediately fought back a few corners later. The Ferrari driver then became one of the first frontrunners to pit, switching to hard tyres on lap 12, with Leclerc following two laps later.

By lap 15, Russell led Verstappen, Antonelli, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Verstappen made his first stop on lap 18, while Russell responded one lap later and returned to the circuit in third position. McLaren split their strategy, bringing in Piastri and Norris on laps 20 and 21.

The race's only interruption arrived on lap 25 when Carlos Sainz stopped his Williams on the main straight, prompting a Virtual Safety Car. Antonelli had just completed his pit stop moments before the VSC was deployed, while Hamilton managed to switch to soft tyres before the pit lane was temporarily closed as marshals recovered Sainz's car

Once racing resumed, Antonelli overtook Leclerc for third place on lap 30, settling behind Russell and Verstappen. At the front, Verstappen steadily reduced Russell's advantage. Meanwhile, Piastri enjoyed a strong recovery, passing both Ferraris on lap 37 as they battled each other. During the fight, Leclerc damaged his front wing and was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop for fresh hard tyres, dropping to eighth.

Hamilton continued to pressure Piastri for fourth place, while Fernando Alonso received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Verstappen reduced Russell's lead to just over one second before another round of pit stops began. Piastri and Hamilton stopped on lap 43, with Russell making his final visit a lap later and rejoining in third, over 11 seconds behind Verstappen, who inherited the lead.

Lance Stroll became the race's third retirement on lap 47. Norris made his final stop one lap later, while Piastri overtook Leclerc once again to move into fifth place.

Verstappen finally made his last pit stop on lap 49 after reporting that his tyres were "dead". The stop briefly handed Antonelli the race lead, but the Mercedes driver pitted two laps later and returned to the track in third, 4.6 seconds behind Verstappen.

The battle for sixth intensified in the closing stages. Isack Hadjar passed Leclerc on lap 56 as the Ferrari driver struggled with tyre degradation, and three laps later Norris also swept past him into Turn 3. Leclerc was forced into one final pit stop soon afterwards.

With ten laps remaining, Russell maintained a comfortable advantage over Verstappen, while Antonelli gradually reeled in the Red Bull driver. The Italian closed to within 1.3 seconds in the final laps but could not find a way through, allowing Verstappen to secure second place behind race winner Russell, with Antonelli completing the podium.

2026 Austrian Grand Prix race results:

1st – George Russell (Mercedes)
2nd – Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – +1.611
3rd – Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +1.986
4th – Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +21.809
5th – Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +26.393
6th – Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) – +29.399
7th – Lando Norris (McLaren) – +31.505
8th – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +45.659
9th – Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +1 Lap
10th – Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +1 Lap
11th – Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – +1 Lap
12th – Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – +1 Lap
13th – Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +1 Lap
14th – Oliver Bearman (Haas F1 Team) – +1 Lap
15th – Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – +1 Lap
16th – Esteban Ocon (Haas F1 Team) – +2 Laps
17th – Alexander Albon (Williams) – +2 Laps
18th – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +3 Laps

19th – Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – DNF
20th – Carlos Sainz (Williams) – DNF
21st – Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – DNF
22nd – Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – DNF