George Russell took the second win of his career at the 2024 Austrian GP. However, it came at the cost of the leaders crashing into each other. Russell wasn’t really in the race to win. Over the years, the Brit had been criticized for making mistakes when things mattered the most. However, right before the Austrian GP, Russell had a response to the critics.
“I have no need to respond to those people”, responded Russell according to Motorsport while talking about people who slam him for cracking under pressure. The Mercedes driver revealed how he wouldn’t make any mistake if he was driving a tenth off the full-blown pace. However, in recent times, he’s been pushing flat out and hence is also able to beat Lewis Hamilton on multiple occasions.
Welcoming ̶G̶e̶o̶r̶g̶e̶ ̶R̶u̶s̶s̶e̶l̶l̶ Fred Flintstone back to the factory pic.twitter.com/jOe43N6XJC
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 2, 2024
Russell added, “I’d be kicking myself for not pushing myself to the limit. So, people can say what they want. I’m pushing myself above and beyond. And maybe overstretched slightly because I’m trying to.” Mercedes were nowhere near the pace of the leaders a couple of months ago and the Brit pushing to the limit made sense to achieve results.
There have been many instances of Russell making mistakes at crucial moments. The last lap crash at the 2023 Singapore GP when a win was in sight is the perfect case in point as the 26-year-old could have been on the podium. Meanwhile, multiple small mistakes made at the Canadian GP cost Russell a shot at winning by putting him on the back foot for the last stint.
However, Russell seemed to have learned from his mistakes and ran a brilliant race at the Austrian GP. Although he needed luck, his strategy worked out.
Russell’s Austrian GP composure brought the win for Mercedes
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were racing in a league of their own at the Austrian GP. 10+ seconds ahead of George Russell in third, they were squabbling within themselves. Although Mercedes has come a long way, they’re still not as quick as the Red Bull or McLaren.
Therefore, Russell minded his own business and didn’t push unnecessarily. He managed his tires to keep Piastri behind him. The #63 driver knew that the two in front were fighting fiercely and when they crashed, he took full advantage of it. Although Piastri had a faster car, Russell pushed just enough at the right times to get him the win.
Mercedes are keen on bringing upgrades throughout the season. The team expects to slash the performance gap to the leaders by half before the mid-season break. The Silver Arrows can very well be in for race wins on pure merit in the second half of the season.
