Martin Brundle on the results of the Austrian Grand Prix

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle summarized the results of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Russell became the fifth winner in eleven races this season, while Mercedes became the fourth team to win. We have seen an exciting and unpredictable race, but I am disappointed in one aspect.

Another chaotic weekend with a single 60-minute practice session before sprint qualifying on Friday, then sprint and main race qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix on Sunday.

On a weekend like this, each driver has one set of tires less than normal, meaning he has to use twelve sets of slicks in five key sessions, including two qualifying sessions, on a very poorly maintained track.

In the first laps of the sprint, Norris was ahead of Verstappen, but his attack in turn 3 forced Max to make a successful counterattack in turn 4, which Lando had to cover. And indeed, Norris lost two positions there and missed Oscar Piastri.

It was a preview of what would happen on race day. Unfortunately for Piastri, he made a mistake in qualifying and lost his best lap, dropping from third to seventh place. This may have cost him his first victory.

The new gravel safety zones and flowing white lines of the lane boundaries worked well. If last year there were 1,200 violations of the highway boundaries, now there are only 16, five of them at Norris.

In theory, the proximity of the gravel traps and yellow curbs in turns one and three should have allowed for automatic control, as you would likely lose time on exit. But the borders were still closely monitored. The McLaren team was furious, claiming that the footage used was blurry and that the record was inconsistent with other incidents that had occurred that day and on previous occasions. But the decision regarding Piastri remained in force.

The sun was scorching hot all weekend and while the fans were toasting in the stands, many braking systems nearly failed and tire wear was very high during the long series of laps. In addition, overheating could mean that some riders could no longer withstand the tension in the final laps.

Verstappen led comfortably, opening up an eight-second advantage, but it was clear from the first stint that the McLaren was faster towards the end of its tyre life.

Leclerc and Piastri got out of trouble and collided in Turn 1, forcing Ferrari to call Charles to the pit lane to change the front wing. Piastri continued to overtake Hamilton in the Mercedes and Sainz in the Ferrari. When Hamilton was given a five-second time penalty for entering the pit lane, Piastri was able to stay ahead of Lewis and chase down Carlos. This played a more important role than we could have imagined at the time.

Verstappen had no grip and made a six-second pit stop due to left rear wheel problems. This rekindled the intrigue, Norris closed the gap and, once in the DRS zone, attacked in turn three.

This time Verstappen was ready and closed himself off from the attack. Clearly irritated after the slow pit stop, Max defended increasingly aggressively, pushing the limits of what was acceptable with late moves in the braking zones, but taking no penalties.

Lando attacked again, this time too quickly, locking up his front tyres and driving off the track. This was his fourth offence and he was given a five-second time penalty, which was unfortunately never served. Max seemed oblivious to his friend and rival’s impending penalty and when Norris passed the Red Bull on the outside of Turn 3 shortly afterwards – on lap 64 – Verstappen drifted to the left and contact occurred.

Did he know Lando was there? He confirmed after the race that he knew he was pretty good at it. They collided and that ended Norris’s race, with Verstappen limping home for three quarters of a lap with a flat tire.

I was alarmed that after the contact, when both got a puncture, Verstappen clearly tried to hinder Norris and get ahead of him. Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for contact in Turn 3, but quickly moved up to fifth on fresh tyres after his pit stop, effectively extending his championship lead, much to the chagrin of many.

In the comments and in these columns I have spoken warmly about Max’s talent, and I stand by it: he is one of the best I have seen in 40 years. I also said that he calmed down, matured and, with three championship titles under his belt, learned to assess risks. It seems that this is only an illusion, in this race Max was similar to his 1.0 version, with his approach to driving and denying his opponents.

I’m not making excuses for him, but I do wonder if the ridiculous feud between his father Jos and team boss Christian Horner has finally come to the surface.

When I heard the Red Bull team say on the radio after the race that it was all Norris’s fault, it was very unpleasant. It undermines their credibility from all sides.

It was clear that Norris would still get a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits, and the whole affair was completely unnecessary for Red Bull. I have to say that Lando was quite aggressive in the race. He will need more subtlety, patience and cunning if he wants to beat Max on a regular basis.

Another worrying moment for Red Bull: despite the contact, the slow lap, the penalty and the extra pit stop, Max still had a 17 second lead over teammate Sergio Perez. Nico Hulkenberg in a Haas also stayed ahead of Perez. Sergio received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane and driving a damaged car, but it was another terrible weekend for him.

It was a great day for Haas with both drivers earning points for the team. Daniel Ricciardo gained two points for ninth place, and Pierre Gasly one for tenth after a fierce battle with teammate Esteban Ocon. This is one of those days where the top teams lose points and the middle group takes them.

After overtaking Sainz for second, Piastri gave chase to Russell, but there were not enough laps left and George was in control.

Hamilton finished fourth with a damaged car and a penalty.

Congratulations to George and Mercedes for their first win since Brazil 2022, 33 races ago, which should please the British public at Silverstone this weekend. I suspect Lando will have plenty of support too.