Austrian GP Race Review: The Russell Hustle
6/28/202631 min
Is George Russell's season back on track? The Mercedes driver converted pole into a commanding lights-to-flag victory at the Red Bull Ring. Harry Benjamin is joined by Sam Bird and Andrew Benson to reflect on Russell's win, hear from the race winner, and assess what it means for his title hopes. Plus, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya joins the pod to give his verdict on the race.
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First 90 secondsHarry Benjamin· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Five Live Formula One. On a weekend where he needed a response, George Russell delivered exactly that. From pole to the race victory at the Austrian Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen and the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, who were on the verge of making it a three-way fight for victory, but ultimately came undone. A fascinating race unfolding at Spielberg. So to dissect it all here on the Chequered Flag podcast with myself, Harry Benjamin, I've brought in the BBC's F1 correspondent, Andrew Benson, and multiple Formula E race winner, Sam Bird. Um, and Sam, what a race, uh, and a, a crucial day for George.
Sam Bird· Guest0:38
Crucial day for George indeed. He needed to beat Kimi Antonelli today to, to, to bring back some points, to get it to 40 points, which is what it is now, was a big thing for him. And now he heads into Silverstone, hopefully with a little bit more confidence.
Harry Benjamin· Host0:54
He certainly does. But was it ... It was a bit of a surprise, Andrew, do you think this weekend? Pole was a bit of a surprise for all of us [laughs] and for George, but he did seem to, to have the pace in hand, uh, during the race. Was he managing because Max and Kimi were, were chasing him down hard?
Andrew Benson1:12
It was just a really, really close race that was decided by track position and strategy, basically. The cars, I think, were basically equal in pace, the top three, and I think it was decided in terms of the battle between Russell and Verstappen by the second stop. They were 1.3 seconds apart with Russell leading Verstappen. If Verstappen