Lewis Hamilton showed his class after the Austrian Grand Prix, putting aside his ‘shocking race’ to congratulate team-mate George Russell after he snatched an unexpected race win.
Hamilton’s afternoon came apart after he failed to make an early move on Russell stick, dropping behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz before picking up a five-second time penalty for crossing the white line on the pit entry.
He eventually came home in fourth place, gaining positions on Max Verstappen and Lando Norris as they picked up punctures from a lap 64 collision at Turn Three, but it was his team-mate who really benefitted.
Russell cut his way through the melee to take over the lead of the race, holding off the threat of Oscar Piastri behind him to secure his second career Grand Prix win.
Speaking with Sky Sports F1 about the race, Hamilton said: “Pretty shocking [for me] but really happy for the team. Everyone at the factory has worked so hard this year to get a result like this so big congratulations to the team and to George… well deserved.”
Team principal Toto Wolff also praised Russell’s display, adding: “I think George’s done a great job to keep himself in almost touching distance. It was a third place on pace but when the two tangled in front, there was this thought we had that things could go wrong.”
Above all, this weekend will give encouragement to Wolff, Hamilton and Russell in their fight with Ferrari. The Silver Arrows were clearly faster than their Italian rivals all weekend long and gained considerable ground in the Constructors’ Championship fight.
Ferrari’s weekend was in stark comparison to that of Mercedes. The Scuderia were left to collect scraps in the sprint race, and Charles Leclerc’s Grand Prix was all but over after the opening lap after he made contact with Oscar Piastri, losing large chunks of his front wing.
