Russell conquered his second victory in Austria. Mercedes driver George Russell took advantage of a collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in the final laps to secure an exciting victory in the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen and Norris fought for several laps, but the crash allowed Russell to claim his second career win. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished in second and third place, respectively.
Due to the high track temperatures, most drivers opted for the medium compound tires. However, Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu chose the hard tires and made a pit stop.
Just like in the sprint race over the weekend, Verstappen had a good start and held onto the lead at turn 1. Norris defended his position against Russell’s Mercedes, while Lewis Hamilton overtook Carlos Sainz.
Further back in the pack, Charles Leclerc found himself squeezed between Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez, resulting in damage to the wing and a pit stop. Piastri was frustrated when Perez pushed him onto the gravel while trying to overtake on the outside at turn 4.
Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon took advantage of Leclerc’s misfortune, with Kevin Magnussen also entering the top 10 for Haas.
Hamilton attempted to overtake his teammate’s car and briefly took third place at turn 3, but Russell regained the position using the DRS zone at turn 4.
The stewards noted that Hamilton gained fourth position by overtaking Sainz at the start of the race, off the track, and he was instructed to give back the position to the Ferrari driver.
Hamilton continued to pressure Sainz in his pursuit of a podium finish, while Piastri made an impressive overtaking move on the outside of Perez at turn 6.
As the race settled, Magnussen remained in tenth place. However, Haas opted to make a pit stop on lap 10, changing tires to the hard compound. He returned to the track just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull, with Leclerc’s Ferrari and Sargeant’s Williams still behind.
Hulkenberg also made a pit stop on the following lap and emerged from the pits alongside his teammate, thanks to the undercut strategy. This allowed him to successfully overtake him at turn 4.
However, the German retaliated and repeated the maneuver on the Danish driver on the next lap, which led Magnussen to question if Hulkenberg was preserving his tires.
In another part of the race, Leclerc’s tire wear left him vulnerable to Alex Albon’s Williams, and an overtake at turn 3 forced Ferrari to bring Leclerc into the pits.
Zhou was furious when Fernando Alonso pushed his Sauber off the track while attempting an ambitious maneuver to take 12th place on lap 21.
The Chinese driver was still using his initial tires and lost more positions to Albon’s Williams and Ocon’s Alpine on the following lap.
Hamilton’s pit stop caused the rest of the pack to do the same, with Perez, Sainz, and Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes entering in the next few minutes, with Russell leading this group of cars.
Both Verstappen and Norris would make a pit stop as soon as lap 23 was completed, changing from medium to hard tires, while Piastri continued without stopping and took the lead.
Hamilton was under investigation when a moment of oversteer caused him to cross the white line at the pit entry, resulting in a five-second penalty.
Meanwhile, Alonso also received a 10-second time penalty for his collision with Zhou’s Sauber, adding to Aston Martin’s miserable weekend at the Red Bull Ring.
Piastri was the last driver in the leading group to make a pit stop on lap 25 and emerged in sixth place, with a five-second gap to Hamilton in fifth.
Perez received a five-second penalty for speeding at the pit entry earlier in the race. Behind him, Ricciardo led a group that included the two Alpine cars in contention.
Leclerc had been informed that a points finish was still possible without any intervention, but he made a third pit stop before reaching the halfway point of the race to switch to the medium tires.
Pierre Gasly questioned whether team orders could be used in the battle with Alonso, as Ocon successfully overtook him at turn 1 on lap 36 to claim 11th place.
But Gasly took advantage of the situation, overtaking Alonso and also making a move on Ocon, who pushed him off the track at turn 3.
Alpine must have been concerned about another collision between their drivers, as Gasly cautiously passed Ocon at turn 4, but they managed to avoid any issues and Gasly secured eighth place.
Gasly’s overtake was crucial because it allowed the team to prioritize him during the pit stops, and he came out behind the two Haas cars and Ricciardo.
Similar to previous races, Verstappen noted that the hard compound tires were not performing well on his RB20, and Norris was closing in just six seconds behind.
Albon was the highest-placed Williams driver in 14th position, but he was penalized for crossing the pit entry line.
While Russell struggled with the medium tires and was overtaken by Lance Stroll, Mercedes decided to bring him in for a pit stop and switch to the hard tires.
Ferrari responded by making a pit stop for Sainz on lap 47, changing from the hard tires to the medium ones in hopes of securing a possible podium ahead of Russell.
McLaren once again demonstrated their superiority in race management, as Piastri made a late overtake on Hamilton on the uphill towards turn 3.
Leclerc was losing time with worn tires, and Gasly was right behind him when he made an inside overtake at turn 3, taking 11th place.
Verstappen complained about tire wear, and Red Bull strategically decided when would be the best time to bring him in for a pit stop, which happened on lap 51 alongside Norris.
However, the Red Bull pit crew had a slow 6.5-second stop, and Norris closed in to less than two seconds after a lock-up at turn 4.
Norris was determined, less than a second behind Verstappen, which allowed him to activate DRS on the 54th lap.
Norris was in a good position to overtake the Red Bull and seemed ready to do so on the inside at turn 3 on the next lap, but Verstappen defended during braking.
Although Verstappen initially managed to escape the DRS zone, Norris fought back and closed the gap, giving him a chance to challenge the Dutchman.
On lap 59, Norris dove inside Verstappen at turn 3 to take the lead, but a lock-up caused him to go off track and concede the position.
Verstappen faced pressure at turn 4 on lap 61, but positioned his car perfectly to maintain his first-place position as the current F1 champion.
Norris repeated the maneuver he had tried several times before, but managed to keep his car on the track on lap 63 and this time it was Verstappen who went off. The battle threatened to result in contact and that happened when Norris went to the outside of Verstappen in turn 4, causing a puncture for both drivers and ruining their aspirations. Russell took the lead with hard tires, while Piastri, as McLaren’s teammate just behind, smoothly approached Sainz and quickly overtook him on the outside in turn 6. Verstappen took his damaged Red Bull back to the pits and returned with soft tires in fifth place, but Norris retired, with the Virtual Safety Car interrupting the race. The stewards determined that Verstappen was responsible and he received a 10-second time penalty, although he had an advantage over Hulkenberg’s Haas in sixth. Russell managed to maintain his lead over Piastri’s McLaren to triumph at the Red Bull Ring and secure his second career victory and Mercedes’ first since Brazil in 2022. Sainz secured his return to the podium with a third place in the only Ferrari car in the points, with Hamilton in fourth in the second Mercedes and Verstappen in fifth. Haas took advantage of the chaos that unfolded ahead to secure two cars in the points, with Hulkenberg finishing sixth and Magnussen in eighth. Ricciardo increased his points tally this season with a calculated race to claim ninth place, while Gasly overtook Leclerc’s Ferrari to secure the final point in tenth place.
© 2024
The thrilling final of the 2024 FIFA World Cup was full of twists and breathtaking moments. The two finalist teams, Brazil and Argentina, gave their best on the field and provided an unforgettable spectacle for football fans.
The match started with a surprising goal from Argentina in the early minutes, leaving the Brazilians at a disadvantage. However, the Brazilian team did not give up and quickly equalized the game with a beautiful shot from outside the box.
The game continued evenly, with both teams creating goal-scoring opportunities. With only a few minutes left in regulation time, Brazil managed to score the winning goal, driving the fans crazy.
After the final whistle, the Brazilian players celebrated the title victory, while the Argentinians appeared visibly dejected. It was an exciting and fiercely contested final until the last minute.
With this victory, Brazil establishes itself as the best football team in the world, winning the sixth championship. The Brazilian players were welcomed back to the country with celebrations and tributes.
The 2024 World Cup left a legacy for Brazilian football, inspiring young talents to pursue their dreams and believe that they can achieve success in the sport.
The next challenge for the Brazilian national team will be the Copa America, where they will face other top South American teams. Fans are eager to see Brazil in action again and support the quest for another title.
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