Max Verstappen finishes fifth in Austrian Grand Prix after collision with Lando Norris

Max Verstappen lost the top spot and a possible victory in the Austrian Grand Prix due to a collision with Lando Norris. The reigning world champion finished fifth in his Red Bull vehicle. The victory at the circuit in Spielberg went to British Mercedes driver George Russell, who stayed ahead of the Australian driver Oscar Piastri in his McLaren and Spanish driver Carlos Sainz in his Ferrari.

Verstappen was in the lead when he suffered a flat tire in the 64th lap after a collision with Norris. Both drivers had been in a tough battle for the top spot for several laps. The British McLaren driver was unable to finish the race after the collision. Verstappen was given a 10-second time penalty.

Due to a mediocre second stop, Verstappen lost his margin of about 7 seconds on Norris, who closed the gap with the Red Bull. He was right behind Verstappen, who was complaining about a lack of grip in his car. A fierce battle between the two drivers followed, in which Verstappen defended his position, and Norris looked for opportunities to pass him. That worked once, but the Briton immediately returned the lead because he had ended up outside the track. A second time, Norris forced Verstappen off the track.

Both drivers collided on Norris's third attempt and suffered a flat tire. Norris also had damage to the front wing. The British driver made it to the pit lane but could not continue. Despite the 10-second time penalty, Verstappen had a sufficient lead over Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) to retain fifth position. Russell, who had been more than 10 seconds behind Verstappen and Norris before the incident, drove his Mercedes to its first victory this season.

For Russell, it is the second GP victory in his career. The Brit won the 2022 Grand Prix of São Paulo. He has finished on the podium once before during this season, finishing third at the Canadian GP.