Russell controls Spielberg as Verstappen and Antonelli fight for second
The short version
George Russell won the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix from pole position, his second win of the season, finishing 1.611s ahead of Max Verstappen. Kimi Antonelli was third, 0.375s behind Verstappen, after a Virtual Safety Car came just after his pit stop. Russell moved up to second in the championship, 40 points behind Antonelli.
- 1.611sMargin of victory
- 1:10.374Fastest lap · Antonelli
- P5 → P2Verstappen · biggest mover (+3)
- 4Retirements · incl. Stroll, Sainz
George Russell
Max Verstappen
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
George Russell was in control all afternoon. The Mercedes driver led from pole at the Red Bull Ring for his second win of 2026 and kept Max Verstappen at bay all the way to the flag.
A scrappy start behind the leader
Russell got away cleanly while the rest of the leaders jostled behind him. Kimi Antonelli ran wide twice on the opening lap, and Lewis Hamilton passed Charles Leclerc, who had started on the front row. Both Cadillacs retired early with brake problems.
Verstappen and the VSC
Verstappen passed Hamilton for second at his second attempt. When Carlos Sainz’s Williams stopped on the main straight, the Virtual Safety Car came out just after Antonelli had pitted, costing him the chance of a cheaper stop. He still recovered to finish 0.375s behind Verstappen.
The final stint
Mercedes made Russell’s last stop onto hard tyres, and Red Bull kept Verstappen out five laps longer to try something different. It didn’t work, and Russell won by 1.611s. Leclerc faded from the front row to eighth.
The win moved Russell up to second in the standings on 131 points, 40 behind Antonelli.
Key moments
- StartRussell leads from pole. Antonelli runs wide twice on the opening lap, and Hamilton passes Leclerc.
- PassVerstappen passes Hamilton for second at the second attempt.
- VSCCarlos Sainz stops on the main straight. The VSC comes just after Antonelli has pitted, so he misses a cheaper stop.
- FlagRed Bull keep Verstappen out longer than Russell, but it doesn't work. Russell wins by 1.6s.
Race classification
2026 Austrian Grand Prix · official classification| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:26:37.979 | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | +1.611 | 18 |
| 3 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | +1.986 | 15 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | +21.809 | 12 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | +26.393 | 10 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | +29.399 | 8 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | +31.505 | 6 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | +45.659 | 4 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | +1 Lap | 2 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | +1 Lap | 1 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | +3 Laps | 0 |
Source: official results on Formula1.com, including post-race penalties.
Did not finish
4 retirements| Driver | Reason |
|---|---|
| Lance Stroll | Battery |
| Carlos Sainz | Electrical |
| Sergio Pérez | Brakes |
| Valtteri Bottas | Brakes |
Weekend sessions
Practice, qualifying · tap to expandClassifications update on their own, within about 10 minutes of being published.
Practice 1
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:07.796 | 29 |
| 2 | George Russell | 1:07.836 | 30 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | 1:07.913 | 26 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | 1:08.077 | 17 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:08.461 | 25 |
| 6 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:08.726 | 18 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | 1:08.873 | 9 |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | 1:08.962 | 27 |
| 9 | Dino Beganovic | 1:09.054 | 26 |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | 1:09.071 | 26 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:09.165 | 30 |
| 12 | Isack Hadjar | 1:09.481 | 11 |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:09.521 | 21 |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | 1:09.546 | 28 |
| 15 | Ayumu Iwasa | 1:09.637 | 19 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | 1:09.644 | 31 |
| 17 | Paul Aron | 1:09.646 | 20 |
| 18 | Luke Browning | 1:09.979 | 29 |
| 19 | Ryo Hirakawa | 1:10.493 | 23 |
| 20 | Jak Crawford | 1:11.202 | 22 |
| 21 | Sergio Pérez | 1:11.283 | 14 |
| 22 | Fernando Alonso | 1:11.333 | 21 |
Practice 2
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:07.014 | 32 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | 1:07.251 | 32 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 1:07.339 | 32 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | 1:07.564 | 29 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:07.611 | 33 |
| 6 | George Russell | 1:07.637 | 25 |
| 7 | Isack Hadjar | 1:07.758 | 28 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | 1:07.855 | 35 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | 1:08.235 | 34 |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:08.300 | 30 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | 1:08.376 | 33 |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:08.378 | 29 |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | 1:08.532 | 33 |
| 14 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:08.559 | 32 |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | 1:08.830 | 33 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | 1:08.831 | 30 |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | 1:08.838 | 34 |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | 1:09.131 | 30 |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | 1:10.544 | 27 |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | 1:10.698 | 32 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:11.307 | 6 |
| 22 | Sergio Pérez | — | 2 |
Practice 3
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:07.096 | 19 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:07.134 | 17 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:07.211 | 22 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 1:07.344 | 17 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | 1:07.360 | 20 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 1:07.369 | 16 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | 1:07.452 | 24 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | 1:07.912 | 27 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | 1:08.031 | 21 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:08.109 | 24 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | 1:08.193 | 16 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:08.303 | 22 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:08.311 | 22 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | 1:08.394 | 18 |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | 1:08.529 | 19 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | 1:08.707 | 15 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:08.843 | 27 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | 1:08.992 | 25 |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | 1:09.532 | 29 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:09.740 | 24 |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | 1:10.421 | 21 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | 1:10.567 | 19 |
Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:07.398 | 1:06.979 | 1:06.113 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | 1:07.543 | 1:07.030 | 1:06.349 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:07.290 | 1:06.994 | 1:06.408 |
| 4 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:07.083 | 1:06.763 | 1:06.414 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | 1:07.407 | 1:07.183 | 1:06.475 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 1:07.259 | 1:06.897 | 1:06.502 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | 1:07.487 | 1:06.890 | 1:06.511 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | 1:07.408 | 1:07.086 | 1:06.632 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | 1:07.385 | 1:07.136 | 1:06.955 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:07.549 | 1:07.155 | 1:07.007 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | 1:08.038 | 1:07.223 | — |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:08.035 | 1:07.293 | — |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | 1:08.061 | 1:07.523 | — |
| 14 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:08.066 | 1:07.611 | — |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | 1:08.231 | 1:07.817 | — |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | 1:07.894 | 1:08.171 | — |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:08.252 | — | — |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | 1:08.509 | — | — |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | 1:08.945 | — | — |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:09.030 | — | — |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | 1:09.942 | — | — |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | 1:10.363 | — | — |
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix?
George Russell (Mercedes) won the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring on 28 June 2026, finishing 1.611s ahead of Max Verstappen in a race time of 1:26:37.979.
Who finished on the podium at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix?
P1 George Russell (Mercedes), P2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull), P3 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes).
Who set the fastest lap at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:10.374.
How many drivers retired from the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix?
4 drivers did not finish: Lance Stroll (battery), Carlos Sainz (electrical), Sergio Pérez (brakes), Valtteri Bottas (brakes).
Who finished on the podium at the 2026 Austrian GP?
George Russell won, ahead of Max Verstappen (+1.611s) and Kimi Antonelli (+1.986s).