Mercedes F1 driver George Russell has revealed the ‘very different’ driving style that allowed him to defeat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Russell took a stunning pole position-race victory double at the Red Bull Ring last weekend, boosting his chances of claiming the drivers’ championship by decreasing the gap in the standings to rival Kimi Antonelli to 40 points.

In the race at Spielberg, Russell had to hold off a challenge from Antonelli and, surprisingly given Red Bull’s form for much of 2026, four-time world champion Verstappen.

The Dutchman looked able to challenge for the race victory despite having started fifth, and ended up just 1.6 seconds behind Russell by the time of the chequered flag.

Now, Russell has revealed what allowed him to defeat Verstappen and Antonelli, admitting that he has changed up his approach to race weekends since his dismal performances earlier in the year.

Russell suffered four podium-less races in a row between the Japanese GP until the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, losing ground quickly to Antonelli in the fight for the championship.

F1 RESULTS: Austrian Grand Prix final classification with all penalties applied

Russell’s change of approach

Russell has admitted that he raced Sunday’s race ‘abnormally’, suggesting that his approach has completely changed in the last couple of race weekends.

“The team have done a really incredible job to sort of put some real answers down for why the performances were not good,” Russell told media after the race. “It wasn’t like I came away from… Monaco and Montreal were two really tough races for me, and I didn’t leave either of them looking at the data thinking, ‘Where is the issue?’

“It was clear what the problem was, and it was clear how we could maybe solve that. And when we perhaps looked through some historical data, there were some trends of this, and it’s all just been exacerbated with this new car.

“So, coming into this race weekend, I think maybe my previous approach, it would have really hurt me on a track like this. And I drove the race very different and quite abnormally, to be honest, to manage the tyres, and it worked quite well. So, I need to get this further understanding.

“Last year, we were eight years into that, or four years into those tyres that we were running with, and I think I really knew in my locker how to handle the tyres at hot tracks, cold tracks, smooth surface, rough surfaces. And this year, I don’t, to be honest. So, I’m rebuilding that. But yeah, the team who’s done a great job to sort of steer me in the right direction.”

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Following the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, the stars of the F1 grid have to prepare for a quick turnaround as they head to Silverstone just days later for the British Grand Prix.

After winning the race in Spielberg, George Russell is now back in the title fight having usurped Lewis Hamilton from his second-place position in the drivers’ standings.

The British Mercedes star is now only 40 points behind his team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, with seven-time champion and Silverstone hero Hamilton six points behind his compatriot in third.

The ninth round of the 2026 season will see the drivers head to what will be a home race for many including Hamilton and Russell at the iconic Silverstone Circuit for the British GP.

And what’s even better news for British F1 fans is that there’s only a few days to go until we do it all again for the jam-packed race weekend on home turf.

After the Austrian GP, the 2026 campaign rolls straight into another race week, with the on-track action commencing at Silverstone on Friday, July 3 and running all the way through to Sunday, July 5.

Hamilton will be looking to regain P2 in the championship and close the gap to Antonelli in front of his adoring home crowd, but he’ll have to find some straight-line speed from somewhere at the wheel of his Ferrari to stand a decent chance of doing so.

F1 RESULTS: Austrian Grand Prix times and positions after Max Verstappen masterclass

Is the British GP a sprint weekend?

Yes, the race weekend at Silverstone will move away from the traditional F1 race format and see the sprint schedule return to the Northamptonshire circuit for the first time since it hosted the inaugural event in 2021.

The single practice session of the weekend will take place on Friday, July 3, at 12:30 BST before the sprint qualifying takes place later that day at 4:30pm.

The morning of Saturday, July 4 will then host the Silverstone sprint before qualifying follows on Saturday afternoon.

The British Grand Prix will then take place on Sunday, July 5, with a lights out time of 3pm (BST).

You can see the full F1 weekend schedule below.

F1 2026 British Grand Prix schedule

These are the confirmed Formula 1 session times for the 2026 British Grand Prix:

F1 SCHEDULE: Every race date for 2026 plus TV details

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Qualifying for the eighth round of the F1 2026 championship takes place today, Saturday, June 27, but who will claim pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix?

The all-important qualifying will kick off on Saturday afternoon at 4pm local time (CEST) which is 3pm for those tuning in from the UK.

Lewis Hamilton returns to the Red Bull Ring with that illusive first win in red under his belt after crossing the line in Barcelona last time out nearly 20 seconds ahead of George Russell.

It was the Mercedes star who clinched pole position in Spain, not his 41-year-old former team-mate, but will Russell be able to come back fighting in Austria?

His team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli will also be hoping to take the fifth pole position of his career after a disappointing DNF in Catalonia, with Red Bull also hoping they have given Max Verstappen a car capable of fighting for the top spot on the grid at their home track.

Check back to this page for the full results below.

LEWIS HAMILTON: Career record with every pole, win and title

F1 Results: Austrian Grand Prix 2026

The below results table will be completed after Saturday’s qualifying for the Austrian GP has taken place. Be sure to check back in on this page for the full times and qualifying order.

Who is the current F1 world champion?

Lando Norris is the reigning F1 champion, and won his first drivers’ championship last year.

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