Not straightforward says Mercedes drivers after double Austrian GP podium

Both Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, have both described the Austrian Grand Prix as not being a ‘straightforward’ race despite finishing the event with a double podium.

Feature image credit: Mercedes F1

Mercedes finished the Austrian Grand Prix, not only with the win, but also with their first double podium finish since March. Russell managed to convert his pole position into the race win as Antonelli recovered to finish the race third.

Despite the impressive performance coming out of the Mercedes garage, week in, week out, it marks the first double podium for the Brackley-based team since the Chinese Grand Prix.

Looking back at the race, both drivers described the race as less than straightforward, despite Russell effectively controlling the race from lights-to-flag. Russell said:

“I’m really pleased with that result. It’s never straightforward around here, and we were under pressure for much of the race, particularly in the final stint, so to convert pole into the win is very satisfying.

“The team did a great job with the strategy and gave me a car that I could manage well across the race. In those conditions, it’s about keeping things simple, focusing on just driving, and I think we executed that well [on Sunday].”

On the other side of the garage, Antonelli pondered what could’ve been at the Austrian Grand Prix as he found himself in the fight for second place against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen late on in the race.

George Russell dominates his way to victory at Austrian Grand Prix

However, it was not to be, as the Dutchman remained out of reach and eventually took second on the road in Red Bull’s home event.

“It was not a straightforward race from my side,” Antonelli commented. “The first stint wasn’t where it needed to be and I struggled a bit with the brakes early on. After that, the pace was much better and I was able to get back into the fight. I think if we had a few more laps, it could have been an interesting battle for P2 at the end.”

Looking ahead, Russell has made observations that the fight at the front has tightened, with Ferrari and Red Bull making inroads on their performance. In Austria, Ferrari brought a new engine upgrade as per the ADUO regulations, whilst Red Bull brought a significant upgrade package to their home event.

In the meantime, the seven-time race winner has claimed that the team can still take the positives for the weekend before heading to Silverstone this weekend, for the British Grand Prix.

“We know it’s very tight at the front and our competitors are pushing us hard, so we have to keep working to find more performance. For now, though, we can take the positives from this weekend and look ahead to Silverstone.”

Ferrari to ‘refocus’ after Austrian Grand Prix

The British Grand Prix will get underway this weekend, starting on Friday, July 3, and continuing until July 5, 2026, as the second European double header of the season comes to an end.

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Ferrari to ‘refocus’ after Austrian Grand Prix
• George Russell dominates his way to victory at Austrian Grand Prix
• Austrian Grand Prix: what are the possible race strategies?
• Russell ‘did everything right’ after Verstappen crash in Austrian GP
• F1 Austrian GP: Antonelli tops both practice, reliability problems and rookies
• Mercedes given ‘reality check’ ahead of Austrian Grand Prix
• McLaren to bring ‘experimental rear wing’ to Austrian Grand Prix

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.