SPIELBERG, Austria — George Russell is firmly back in Formula 1 title contention after turning his controversial pole position into a dominant win at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Russell controlled the race throughout and held off a challenge from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. His Mercedes teammate and standings leader Kimi Antonelli had to settle for third after closing in on Verstappen on the final lap.
It’s the first win for Russell, excluding sprint races, since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari failed to build on his breakthrough win at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last time out, with the seven-time champion fifth and teammate Charles Leclerc eighth.