Russell Burgles Victory After Norris And Verstappen Collide | 2024 Austrin Grand Prix
Having claimed pole position and victory in the sprint, and pole position for the race, and having built a seven second lead with twenty laps remaining, the top step and the trophy appeared to be halfway into the Red Bull branded bag. And yet. Well, that’s what headlines are for. Norris retired, Verstappen fell to fifth and accusations flew round the paddock like bats out of Meatloaf’s mouth.
The Red Bull Ring has been Verstappen’s domain during his short and shiny career, which suited his tendency in recent weeks to find a way to win as his mechanical advantage apparently ebbs away. Worse, he fights battles alone, and will do for another eighteen months at least. Perez finished seventh, beaten by Nico Hulkenberg in a Haas, and crossed the line fifty-four seconds after surprise winner Russell.
Hulkenberg’s dream day was set up in a large part by the start, and the damage dealt to Perez and Leclerc, the latter’s poor start leading to his sandwiching at turn one. Perez dived down his inside, Piastri swept round his outside, and as the squeeze of the apex approached the McLaren ran over his front wing endplate.
The whole wing needed replacing, and for the rest of the race Leclerc was banished from the top ten. Piastri’s attempt to pass Perez on the outside of turn four later in the lap led to further contact, which again he survived, while Perez described his sidepod as “destroyed.” Clearly it wasn’t, but the excuse was banded about by everyone in a Red Bull shirt to soften the blow of another underwhelming drive.
From all this Hulkenberg was the biggest winner, a driver whose results have hovered around the soggy end of the top ten all season. Haas have already surpassed their points total from last year, which admittedly was little to celebrate, and a double points finish will help the drivers too with next year’s lineup still unconfirmed.
More midfield joy was sprinkled over Daniel Ricardo, ninth place rewarded with two rarefied points for RB, and Gasly, who battled angrily past his team mate to finish a healthy tenth. Rumours suggest that Alpines pickup in results might even tempt Carlos Sainz to the team once Ocon is Ocgone. Sainz finished a “proud” P3, albeit inherited, after seeing off Hamilton in the early laps. Battle contact damaged the Mercedes which slowly dropped away, trailing by twenty seconds over the line.
A few races ago Alonso would have jumped at the demise of three of the standard top eight, instead he came home eighteenth after dozily drifting into the back of Zhou and receiving a ten second penalty. He described his car as “fundamentally lacking pace,” benefiting only from the demise of Norris.
It began with Verstappen’s slow pit stop with twenty laps to go. Suddenly his lead of seven seconds evaporated down to two, and a reinvigorated Norris saw a chance to pull off what he’d failed to do in Saturdays sprint. Then, Verstappen’s robust defence and his own desperate mistake had allowed Piastri through into second, and the dutchman to escape.
This time Russell was fifteen seconds behind and as the gap closed you could almost sense the polishing of weapons. No sooner had Norris entered DRS range the attacks and radio accusations began. Verstappen was moving under braking. Norris was abusing track limits. Verstappen was moving again- TV viewers are accustomed these days. Verstappen avoided investigation but Norris was issued a final track limits warning, one more would earn a five second penalty.
Finally, with twelve laps remaining, Norris Verstappened Verstappen, flying down the inside from a mile back at turn three, going deep beyond the tarmac, and keeping the lead. Re-overtaken at the next corner, he’d set the precedent, used by Verstappen four laps later when a second divebomb forced him wide at the same corner. It was lap sixty-three of seventy-one.
Cue further dobbings in. Verstappen hadn’t been told about Norris’ now looming penalty, perhaps this would have calmed hottening heads, but when Norris attacked again on the next lap, at the same place, this time around the outside, he was squeezed unreasonably far onto the curb. Verstappen’s rear right hit the rear left of the McLaren and both received instant punctures.
Even then Verstappen refused to give in, pushing Norris onto the grass as he tried to get around the three wheeled Red Bull. Then, an announcement, a five second track limits penalty. As they limped to the pits, Norris to retire, the unserved penalty threatening to spill into his next race, Verstappen for new tyres and an eventual fifth place, George Russell and Oscar Piastri steamed past and towards unexpected glory.
“We should have won in Canada, and ended up P3,” Russell said after the race. “Today we deserved P3 and won the race. Funny how this sport works out.” Norris wasn’t laughing, or he was, but only to mask barely concealed rage. “I looked forward to a strong fair battle but that’s not what it was… He ruined his own race as much as he ruined mine. I was trying to be fair and he just wasn’t.”
When asked about his friendship with his newly minted arch rival he was equally unhappy- “if he says he did nothing wrong then I’ll lose a lot of respect for it,” all spoken quickly with the conviction of disappointment. Of course there was only one subject for Verstappen’s interview, and he was non-committal. He’d watch replays before accepting responsibility, and anyway he was the one driving and so knew best the intent of his actions.
He looked around as he spoke, sipping his drink and tense in the face. “Of course, we’ll talk about it later.” His 2021 campaign taught what Norris is yet to learn, that rivals can never be friends. Their field is small and its pinnacle clear, the sporting career is short. Each opportunity for the summit is now or never again. For one interaction, game theory encourages betrayal.
Verstappen has raced thirty more grand prix than Senna ever did, twenty more than Lauda, ten more than Mansell: he’s only three race starts behind Prost and looks six months from equalling his haul of world championships, and he’s twenty-six years old. By the standards of those past greats he’s racked up a whole career worth of races already, and like them, he knows it’s worth any personal cost to win while you can.
Final Order: Russell, Piastri, Sainz, Hamilton, Verstappen … Hulkenberg, Perez, Magnussen, Riccardo, Gasly … Leclerc, Ocon, Stroll, Tsunoda, Albon … Bottas, Zhou, Alonso, Sargeant, DNF: Norris
