Russell Adapts Unconventional Approach to Secure Victory at Austrian Grand Prix

George Russell noted that he is still adapting to his 2026 Mercedes Formula 1 car, employing an unconventional driving technique to claim victory at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Starting from pole position, Russell converted his Saturday performance into his second win of the season, narrowing the gap to championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished third. This victory places Russell 40 points behind his teammate ahead of the upcoming Silverstone race.

However, the win was not without challenges, as Russell faced intense pressure from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while Antonelli demonstrated strong pace throughout the race.

Following a series of setbacks, including defeats to Antonelli and a power unit failure in Canada, Russell emphasized that his performances in Barcelona and Austria were crucial in reaffirming his capabilities. “The tough races definitely test you psychologically, and these last two weekends for me have been vitally important to remind myself I can do it,” he stated. “It’s been a tough couple of months with some really tricky races, with races that felt like everything was going against me, then some races with some tough performances.”

“I’ve got a really incredible teammate next to me, who week in, week out is delivering some pretty spectacular performances. So, for me, going into Canada and Barcelona from quite a low point, I needed a lot of resilience to be able to get back and deliver some strong performances. To get the last two poles, to get the win here this weekend, especially on a track which I don’t think is so suited to me, I’m really proud.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Pauline Ballet – Formula 1

Despite the win, Russell acknowledged ongoing challenges in optimizing his car’s setup and tyre management under the new regulations. “I have a lot of confidence in myself, knowing I can do it. I have less confidence in being able to get everything aligned with the car, the set-up and the tyres, because it’s just been so up and down for me,” he conceded.

To address this, Russell adopted a distinct driving style during the race, focusing on tyre preservation. “The team has done a really incredible job to put some real answers down as to why the performances were not good. It was clear what the problem was, and it was clear how we could maybe solve that. And when we perhaps looked through some historical data, there were some trends of this, and it’s all just been exacerbated with this new car. Coming into this race weekend maybe my previous approach would have really hurt me on a track like this. And I drove the race very differently and quite abnormally, to be honest, to manage the tyres, and it worked quite well.”

Reflecting on the changes from last season, Russell highlighted the need to rebuild his understanding of tyre behavior. “Last year, I really knew how to handle the tyres on hot tracks, cold tracks, smooth surfaces, rough surfaces. And this year, I don’t, to be honest. So, I’m rebuilding that.”

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