The second race of the triple header has been run and won by George Russell who took advantage of a late race clash for the lead between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Talking of The Clash and Rocking the Casbah, here is our 2024 Austrian F1 Grand Prix Result Summary which covers both races and anything else of interest.
This 2024 Austrian Grand Prix Result, Lap by Lap, Review & Summary gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a hint of cynicism, bias, opinion and colour. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time.
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2024 Austrian GP Preview
Our 2024 F1 Calendar & Results
Our 2023 Full Season Reviews
2024 Austrian F1 Grand Prix Result Race Summary
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Here’s where we capture the laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the scene – Saturday’s Sprint Race saw Max Verstappen take out the win, but it wasn’t without pressure from McLarens who are a clear second best right now. Lando Norris even had the audacity to overtake Max Verstappen for the lead only to throw it away not long after and lost second place to teammate Oscar Piastri in the process. That’s how they finished. Mercedes and Ferraris filled positions 4 to 7 with Sergio grabbing the final sprint point, in an otherwise pointless effort.
Onto Race Day and it is hot and windy. Which probably doesn’t suit any car in particular, except maybe the car that is out a mile in front. That car might be Max Verstappen who took another pole position from Lando Norris and should have been Oscar Piastri up there too, but he had his time harshly deleted for track limits, despite being on the corner with the new gravel traps. Piastri starts from seventh, which is disappointing, but still better than Perez. Guanyu Zhou starts from pitlane.
Note to organisers of other races, Austria does national anthems best. An electric guitar-heavy version followed up by Queen’s We Will Rock You. Standard set for 2024 and beyond.
GRID (Starting Order) – VER NOR RUS SAI HAM LEC PIA PER HUL OCO
Lap 1 – Max Verstappen flies from pole and leads into the uphill turn one and finds enough time to chop Lando Norris. This drops him closer to the Mercedes behind while Max disappears. Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc appear to touch at turn one, and they race each other for most of the first lap and the Ferrari pits for a broken front wing but no damage for Piastri. The Australian looks more at fault than Leclerc. The rest of the field behave themselves. Daniel Ricciardo loses a place at the start, continuing his record of not gaining a place at the start this season.
ORDER – VER NOR RUS HAM SAI PER PIA OCO HUL MAG
Lap 3 – The Mercedes battle it out and Hamilton takes third position at turn three, only for George Russell to take the place back a corner later. Maybe it was sabotage. Maybe George Russell is better.
Lap 6 – Replays time as the cameras show Sergio Perez running Oscar Piastri off the track but not sure what the stewards have thought of that yet. What the replays have missed is Carlos Sainz getting in front of Lewis Hamilton. We presume a correction from the stewards enquiry from earlier in the race. Sainz v Hamilton continue to battle it out for fourth place for the next few laps.
Lap 9 – Front runners check and Max Verstappen leads by 3.3 seconds to Lando Norris who himself has almost three seconds to play with to George Russell. Sainz remains in front of Hamilton and Perez is now behind Oscar Piastri.
ORDER – VER NOR RUS SAI HAM PIA PER HUL OCO GAS
Lap 11 – Bored of being stuck in the midfield train starting at 8th placed Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo pit for tyres. Hulkenberg pits a lap later with Fernando Alonso. They all rejoin around the same spot, and ahead of Charles Leclerc who had to pit on lap one due to the touch with Piastri. A few laps later Williams’ Alex Albon overtakes the Ferrari, underlining the awful day out for Leclerc.
Lap 15 – The Haas drivers are continuing their battle for 14th/15th. This will be for the last of the points positions by race end, so worth fighting for.
Lap 22 – The front runners start their pitstops with Piastri inheriting the lead for a little while as he pits last of the group. He rejoins in 6th after eventually stopping for tyres.
Lap 25 – Lewis Hamilton receives a five second penalty for crossing the white line when heading into the pits. It’s harsh but fair. Double the fun for Alonso who receives a ten second slot for an incident with Guanyu Zhou. It won’t cost Alonso any points as he wasn’t getting any before the penalty.
ORDER – VER NOR RUS SAI HAM PIA PER HUL MAG RIC
Lap 29 – In welcome news for anyone who wants a non Red Bull win, the radio reveals gearbox troubles for Max Verstappen.
Lap 30 – TV Cameras show Charles Leclerc, who we had forgotten was in the race. May as well have, as he is still only 18th.
Lap 37 – More fun between the Alpines, as recently re-signed for 2025 Pierre Gasly is ran off the track by the recently told you’re-not-here-next-season Esteban Ocon at turn three. For 11th place. The battle continues for a little longer and ends in Gasly’s favour. Surely Ocon isn’t stupid enough to cause an accident here. He’s still got potential drives elsewhere for 2025 as it stands.
Lap 43 – The closest gap in the top seven is Oscar Piastri chasing Lewis Hamilton as is one and a half seconds away. Further ahead Max Verstappen leads by 6.5 seconds, Lando Norris leads Russell by 10 seconds. Further down the field and the midfield cars have started their second pit stops.
ORDER – VER NOR RUS SAI HAM PIA PER OCO TSU STR
Lap 46 – George Russell in the first of the front runners to make a second stop. Meanwhile Max Verstappen is really struggling on his tyres. But it’s not affecting his lead, which has increased since we last shared it above.
Lap 49 – Oscar Piastri overtakes Lewis Hamilton into turn three with a neat move. The McLarens are doing better on their tyres than others, or based on radio recordings their drivers just moan less.
Lap 52 – Max Verstappen and Lando Norris pit for a second time, and Oscar Piastri does so as well. The Red Bull pitstop is nearly four seconds slower than Lando Norris, so the McLaren of Norris is only three seconds behind, plus Verstappen locks up going into turn four and looks ragged. Game on at this point.
Lap 54 – Lando Norris closes to within a second and DRS is now available to him. He is right on the Red Bull’s tail as they approach some backmarkers to lap.
Lap 55 – Lando Norris thinks about a big dive down the inside of Max Verstappen into turn three but pulls out late. Norris complains about Verstappen moving under braking, but he should expect that. Lapped cars temporarily halt the action.
Lap 58 – Lando Norris is back within DRS range and again the McLaren thinks about a move but retreats. Probably wise. You can’t afford a half-hearted move against Max. But……Lando Norris receives the Black and White flag for track limits. Any more and he’ll receive a penalty.
Lap 59 – Lando Norris dives up the inside of turn three but runs wide and has to hand back the position. Problem is, it’s another off track excursion and could see him punished as per the black and white flag warning. The battle continues. But the Stewards are looking into Norris’ off track limits.
Lap 62 – Norris has the fastest car right now but can’t get in front. He probably needs to do it quickly if he can as he will probably get a time penalty for track limits. Further back his teammate is right on Sainz’s tail.
Lap 63 – Lando Norris gets in front of Max Verstappen at turn three and pushes Max wide. But Verstappen sticks his foot on the throttle and simply powers back past Norris and re-takes the lead.
Lap 64 – CONTACT!!!! Norris tries to go around the outside of Verstappen at turn three and they collide. It’s not massive but Verstappen has the right rear puncture and Norris has a broken front wing at least. And a puncture. And, and Norris receives a five second penalty for track limits as well. Norris drives probably too fast with a broken car. Unbelievable. So much action. George Russell takes the lead. Replays show that Max Verstappen moves to the left as Norris tries to go around the outside. So blame is slightly at the door of Red Bull. Pitstop drops Max Verstappen to fifth but Norris retires with too much damage. But…Max Verstappen gets a ten second penalty for the accident.
Lap 65 – Oscar Piastri drives around the outside of Carlos Sainz and takes what is now second place. Piastri is only three seconds behind George Russell. A debut race win is there for the taking.
VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED AND ENDS
ORDER – RUS PIA SAI HAM VER HUL PER MAG RIC GAS
Lap 68 – Just over three laps to go and George Russell in 2.6 seconds ahead of Piastri, so that debut win will have to wait for now you’d think. Some big points coming the way of Haas in 6th and 8th, and some cheer for Daniel Ricciardo in 9th.
Lap 70 – Two laps left and the gap between Russell and Piastri is two seconds. Closer but still not enough.
FINAL LAP – George Russell crosses the line to win the Austrian Grand Prix, a little bit lucky but was quick enough and in the right place to take advantage. Oscar Piastri tried hard and was under two seconds behind when the race ended. Carlos Sainz rounds out the podium. Max Verstappen finishes fifth on the road and keeps the place despite the penalty. Nico Hulkenberg keeps Sergio Perez behind him and seals sixth.
FINAL ORDER (Across the line) – RUS PIA SAI HAM VER HUL PER MAG RIC GAS
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
THE GREAT-EST – GEORGE RUSSELL
A race win he was likely not expecting. But he continues to outshine his illustrious teammate and put himself in the right place to take advantage.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
OSCAR PIASTRI – Second place in the Sprint Race, second in the proper race, but it is a case of what could have been after he was penalised for track limits in qualifying. No doubt he would have been at least third and therefore had an easier race. As it was he impressed enough and grabbed second place after the Verstappen-Norris crash. But a case of what could have been if not for that qualifying penalty…..
NICO HULKENBERG – Sixth place is a great reward for The Hulk.
KEVIN MAGNUSSEN – A convenient bunch of points as other drivers are whispered to be in Haas’ plans for 2025.
DANIEL RICCIARDO – Maybe not career savings, but possibly career extending. What looked like a Silverstone exit might be a summer break exit now with this 9th place. Ahead of his team mate in qualifying and race. But he needs more. We need more. Everyone except Jacques Villeneuve needs more.
THE GRAPE-EST – CHARLES LECLERC
Seventh in the Sprint race, sixth in qualifying, a small clash with Oscar Piastri at the first corner of the real race sees him drop to the back of the field, and he made little progress throughout the early stages but did improve to finish 11th. But that’s pretty weak in a car that’s miles better than the midfield. It was long ago he won the Monaco GP in dominant style and was second in the Championship. Now he’s a Perez levels.
DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS
SERGIO PEREZ – Another underwhelming weekend. It’s easy to pick on him, but with his teammate cruising so far in front, Perez’s efforts in the second car are really wasting time. It will end up costing Red Bull the Constructors title. He ended up 17 seconds behind his team mate who had a crash, extra pitstop, slow second pit stop, and a ten second penalty.
MAX VERSTAPPEN – Went from cruising to win, to a bad pitstop putting him under massive pressure, then being under massive attack (not the band) from Norris which ultimately leads to contact and he drops to fifth as a result. For this race it is a big loss of points, but the longer term view is he isn’t going to get things his way from here on. Blamed for the incident too.
LANDO NORRIS – Another weekend of lost opportunity. Should have won the Sprint Race and made a mistake which saw him lose second place to his team mate. Was fast in the second half of the race and pressured Verstappen for the lead, but ultimately made contact and retired from the race with damage.
FERNANDO ALONSO – Set fastest lap but must be wondering where all that Aston Martin pace has gone. Not to Lance Stroll either.
SAUBER – Slow as.
LOGAN SARGEANT – Spent most of the race in last position and is lucky the Mercedes protege Antonelli isn’t going better in F2.
Was it a good race, loads of action, a tense ending, a surprise result or DNF, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest?
We rate the big race itself, so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
ON TRACK ACTION – 8 / 10
There’s enough racing and overtaking throughout the field to keep one awake. It’s a good track for it. But getting an on track genuine battle for first is something to treasure, and one that ends in a clash is too good.
ANY SURPRISES? – 5 / 5
The late race battle turns into contact and allows a surprise win for George Russell.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 4 / 5
The season importance note here is that McLaren’s pace makes them at least the second fastest car, if not nudging Red Bull. With over half a season to go, there’s a great base for a welcome Championship challenge. Plus the clash between Norris and Verstappen might spice things up to go along with the closeness in teams.
ENDING 10 / 10
The battle for first was good enough, but then when they clashed it sealed the deal for a ten.
OVERALL RATING 27 / 30
The race of the season so far, but will the fallout lead to even better races to come. We hope so.
2024 F1 Season Power Rankings
Stay tuned for our Power Rankings from the race soon as it is currently being calculated and will be ready on Monday.
Why not check the latest race ratings – 2024 Monaco Grand Prix Ratings
Or check out our 2023 Season Driver Rankings and Stats
