Source : the age
It only took three laps for the Austrian Grand Prix to descend into chaos.
The first warning came from Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas who calmly told his team his brakes were on fire.
Moments later, a snippet from Kiwi Liam Lawson’s radio revealed a similar predicament.
“On fire, I’ve got fire in my car,” he said.
Several laps later, the Red Bull Ring claimed another casualty.
“I have a lot of smoke in the cockpit,” Sergio Perez told his engineers.
Despite the multiple DNF’s, Mercedes driver George Russell managed to convert pole position to victory on Sunday, battling extreme heat and scorching track temperatures to win the Austrian Grand Prix.
The British driver fended off a fierce Max Verstappen and a last-minute charge from championship leader Kimi Antonelli who completed the podium.
An impressive Oscar Piastri fought his way from seventh on the grid and executed a sensational overtake on Charles Leclerc. However, the McLaren driver ultimately didn’t have the pace to challenge the Mercedes and Piastri settled for fourth.
Russell said it was “incredible to be back on the top step” and acknowledged Ferrari’s and Red Bulls pace.
“It has been a little while, so will definitely enjoy this one this evening. Max [Verstappen] and Red Bull were incredibly quick this weekend, so kudos to them.,” he said.
The spiritual home of Red Bull motorsport, Red Bull Ring is just over four kilometres long and is punctuated by a pair of uphill right-handers on the edge of Spielberg, in the Styrian mountains of Austria
One of the biggest obstacles on race day was the heat. Formula 1’s governing body, issued ‘heat hazard’ ahead of the weekend, with tarmac temperatures on Sunday reaching a scorching 60 degrees.
Within the first few laps, both Cadillacs suffered mechanical issues and had to have the smoke extinguished from their cockpits with foam.
The team later confirmed the issues were caused by overheating brakes.
The soaring temperatures forced teams to execute a minimum two-stop strategy as drivers arced to preserve their tyres during the 71-lap race.
But it didn’t stop certain drivers from executing some incredible overtakes. The battle between Hamilton and Verstappen was one to watch – a nostalgic reminder of their fierce championship duel in 2021.
Early in the race, the Red Bull driver swept around the inside in Turn 3 and overtook the seven-time world champion. But Moments later the Ferrari driver snatched it back near turn four, after Verstappen locked his tyres.
While he didn’t manage to secure a podium, Oscar Piastri’s battle with Charles Leclerc was also another fantastic moment.
On Lap 37, Piastri lunged towards Charles Leclerc on the inside of turn 3. The two made contact, but the Australian managed to muscle into fourth place.
We’ve just heard that Aussie Oscar Piastri has been called to the stewards.
He has been hit with breach of non-compliance – driving unnecessarily slowly during reconnaissance laps.
If found guilty, Piastri could be hit with a penalty.
It only took three laps for the Austrian Grand Prix to descend into chaos.
The first warning came from Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas who calmly told his team his brakes were on fire.
Moments later, a snippet from Kiwi Liam Lawson’s radio revealed a similar predicament.
“On fire, I’ve got fire in my car,” he said.
As he completed a victory lap after winning the Austrian GP, George Russell revealed his drinks system had failed during the race.
He didn’t tell his bosses when it went down, just that he was ready for a drink.
“Drink system failed so I’m a little bit thirsty,” Russell told his team over the radio.
“We will have a drink for you on the podium,” his team replied on the radio, referring to the champagne for the winners.
Mercedes driver George Russell has converted pole position to victory, battling extreme heat and scorching track temperatures to win the Austrian Grand Prix.
“Whoooo,yabadabadoo, good team result, well done everybody,” Russell exclaimed over the radio.
A resurgent Max Verstappen finished second and despite a late-charge from championship leader Kimi Antonelli, he was unable to catch the Dutchman.
It’s the final lap and Kimi Antonelli is definitely not looking after his tyres.
He’s hunting Verstappen and is within touching distance.
We’ve got six laps to go and the margin between Russell and Verstappen is around four seconds.
Verstappen is a born hunter, but he has likely run out of time to catch the Mercedes driver.
Meanwhile, It looks like Kimi Antonelli will complete the podium in third place. Despite some extraordinary efforts, Piastri is unlikely to catch the Italian and will have to settle for fourth.
A flying George Russell leads the race, with a five-second gap over Max Verstappen.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli is in third and Oscar Piastri has fought his way top fourth.
Piastri is around four seconds behind Kimi Antonelli and time is running out to catch the Italian.
His teammate Lando Norris is languishing in seventh.
Meanwhile, a frustrated Charles Leclerc has told his engineers his tyres are cooked (he used a different word, starting with f).
Ah, the weather gods are funny.
After days of stifling temperatures and scorching heat, there is now looming rain on the forecast.
We’ve got 16 laps to go.
We’ve got another quick safety car as marshalls rush to collect debris lying on the track.
It looks like it’s one of the bollards from the track.
Racing quickly resumes on Lap 53/71.
George Russell is still in the lead, with Verstappen in second.
