Antonelli on brilliant form with DHL fastest lap in Austria, but Russell takes the win

Kimi Antonelli was once again the fastest driver out on track in the Austrian Grand Prix but had to concede victory to Mercedes teammate, George Russell. Championship leader Antonelli saw any chance of taking the win evaporate in the opening stages of the grand prix while doing his utmost to move up from fourth on the grid.

He ran wide on several occasions as a result, lost a lot of time and also a position to Max Verstappen. After his second and final pit stop, he then tried to attack once more on fresh tires. He set the DHL Fastest Lap of 1:10.374 on lap 59 and gradually closed down the gap on Verstappen in P2 and race leader, Russell. But in the end, the young Mercedes ace ran out of time in his bid to make an attack. Ultimately, he crossed the finish line in third place with a deficit of just under four-tenths of a second on Verstappen and 1.9 seconds on Russell.

“It was not a straightforward race from my side,” said Antonelli by way of acknowledgement. “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. There is still a lot for me to learn, and this weekend has been a good reminder of that. I will take the lessons and come back stronger next weekend.”