THE FULL GRID REVIEW
Archive · Round 8 · Jun 28, 2026
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Round 8 · Austrian Grand Prix · Red Bull Ring

Russell holds off Verstappen to revive his title bid

George Russell won from pole by 1.6 seconds, with Max Verstappen closing in all afternoon at Red Bull's home track.

The result
P1RussellMercedes
P2VerstappenRed Bull · +1.611s
P3AntonelliMercedes · +1.986s
4Oscar PiastriMcLaren+21.809s
5Lewis HamiltonFerrari+26.393s
6Isack HadjarRed Bull+29.399s
7Lando NorrisMcLaren+31.505s
8Charles LeclercFerrari+45.659s
9Liam LawsonRacing Bulls+1 lap
10Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls+1 lap
What happened

Russell controlled the race from pole, but Verstappen kept the pressure on and cut the gap to about a second by the closing stint. Mercedes brought Russell in from the lead for his final stop and he rejoined third, then the pit cycle put him back in front.

Kimi Antonelli lost ground leaving the pits, fought back past Charles Leclerc twice, and finished third, less than half a second behind Verstappen. A Virtual Safety Car arrived just after Antonelli had stopped, too late to help him.

Why it matters

The gap comes down to 40

Russell's second win of the year cut Antonelli's lead to 40 points.

Verstappen is getting closer

Second place, a second and a half from the win, was Red Bull's strongest showing of the season so far.

Hamilton's three-stop recovery

After losing places to Verstappen in a long wheel-to-wheel fight, Hamilton used a three-stop plan to climb back to fifth.

Drivers' championship after Round 8
PosDriverPtsGap
1Antonelli171—
2Russell131−40
3Hamilton125−46
4Piastri82−89
5Norris79−92
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