Let’s take a moment to catch our breath.
Last week at the Spanish Grand Prix, a battle for the lead between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris early in the race gave George Russell a chance to take the lead. But as we all know, Verstappen eventually overtook Russell and held off Norris in the closing stages to win the Spanish Grand Prix.
Something similar happened at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, but with a very different outcome.
For nearly 50 laps of the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen had such an insurmountable lead over Lando Norris and the rest of the field that it seemed as if Verstappen would dominate everyone else. The other 10 teams, the other 19 drivers, and probably the vast majority of fans watching around the world, were awed by the spectacle and possibility that Verstappen would lead the way not just for that day, but for the rest of the season.
But moments later, the door opened slightly and the fight began.
The door was opened on lap 51 when Verstappen and the Red Bulls made a late pit stop, while Norris and the McLarens made a much earlier one. The Red Bulls struggled with the left rear wheel of Verstappen’s RB20, shortening the Red Bulls’ pit stop to 6.5 seconds. The McLaren beat Norris’ pit stop by 2.9 seconds, and the pair slowly left the pit lane with Norris running closely behind Verstappen.
The friends-turned-rivals battled it out for over 10 laps, pushing their cars, each other and themselves to the limits. At one point Norris overtook Verstappen but the move came off the track and the McLaren driver quickly reclaimed the position. Both drivers were heard complaining to their teams on track and over the radio, venting their frustrations as they pushed their cars to the limits.
Then, on the 63rd, a dispute between friends simmered.
The battle resumed on lap 63 with disappointing results for both drivers as the two drivers collided alongside each other with disastrous results for both, as Norris and Verstappen both returned to the pits with punctures, the safety car was deployed and another driver took the lead.
George Russell.
As the laps went by, Wolff had a shy smile on his face as he watched Russell’s silver-and-black W15 hurtle around the track. Oscar Piastri was more than two seconds behind, and Russell needed only to bring the W15 to the finish line for his second career victory.
And he did just that.
“It’s not over until it’s over,” Russell announced to his team over the radio after taking the chequered flag. “We never thought this would happen in Bahrain. Well done.”
Starting with the Miami Grand Prix, Mercedes launched a series of upgrades to the W15 that will make it a contender for the 2024 season. These upgrades have enabled the team to improve its performance in recent weeks, resulting in its first Grand Prix podiums of the year – the first in Montreal for Russell and the second in Barcelona for Lewis Hamilton – but they only managed third-place finishes.
It is the team’s first win since Russell’s victory in Brazil in 2022.
“It was a tough start to the race,” Russell told David Coulthard trackside. “The team has worked hard and made great progress since the start of the season. The last three races have been incredible and there are even better races to come… It’s really exciting times for us.”
Given the battle between Norris and Verstappen and the fight at the front of the grid, much will be said and written in the coming days about whether a change will come in the relationship between these friends. But on this day a winner emerged: Russell, who fought to the end and gave Mercedes a much-needed win. This victory not only boosts their standing in the Constructors’ Championship, but also rewards the many hours of work the team has put in to resolve the issues with the W15. At the Miami Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton explained to the media about the car at that point in the season: SB Nationit is considered to be in a “dangerous situation.”
That edge is very different right now.
And that might even be enough to propel Mercedes to the front of the grid.
