A collision in the 64th lap between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris was enough to propel George Russell to victory at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. 

This marks Mercedes first race win since 2022, when Russell won the Brazilian GP to give them their sole win for that year. It is also the third week in a row that Mercedes will finish on the podium, following third-place finishes by both Russell and Lewis Hamilton at the Canadian and Spanish GP, respectively. 

Before the clash, which changed the outcome of the race, Russell was trailing in third place as Norris was fighting hard to overtake Verstappen. The struggle got out of hand in the 64th lap when the two of them collided, resulting in punctures for both of them. While Verstappen was able to get his car mended and settled for a fifth-place finish, Norris had to pull out of the race. 

A heated Norris expressed his frustration at the end of the race, accusing Verstappen of being “reckless” and “desperate,” adding that he respects “Max a lot, but there are times when he goes a little bit too far.” 

Even before the crash, Norris voiced his unease with the way Verstappen was denying him the chance to overtake him. What made Norris all the more frustrated was that he finished second place behind Verstappen at the Sprint race on Saturday and had hoped for a better finish, possibly first place, on Sunday. But that did not happen as he did not even finish the race. The Dutch was handed a 10-second penalty, but that did nothing to affect his fifth position. 

But it was not a total loss for McLaren as Oscar Piastri finished seconds after Russell to come second, while Carlos Sainz represented Ferrari at the podium with his third-place finish. Russell’s teammate, Hamilton, came fourth. 

The race did not end the way many would have predicted, but incidents like a collision are a reminder that things could go pretty bad in seconds and the actions of two drivers could have a far-reaching effect on the whole race.