The European leg of Extreme E Season 4 kickstarted in spectacular fashion at the Hydro X Prix in Scotland on July 13-14. The dramatic Round Three saw impressive performances, with Jamaica’s Fraser McConnell and his teammate Laia Sainz driving the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team (ASXE) to a commendable second place finish.
McConnell was elated with their performance, sharing, “We managed to get second, amazing to be on the podium, so happy with the result, for the team, they worked so hard. The car was amazing. We had the pace in the final with the fastest lap to try and do something. Laia did an amazing job, incredible start and I’m so proud of her.”
Sainz echoed McConnell’s sentiments, adding, “I think we can be really happy. Usually, the starts I’m not so good but today I think we did a good job for us, so happy tomorrow (Sunday). Let’s go.”
In Heat 2, Timmy Hansen of Andretti Altawkilat led into turn one, closely followed by ASXE, NEOM McLaren XE, and RXR. RXR faced a setback after a spin and a dropped flag penalty, allowing NEOM McLaren XE to overtake ASXE for second place. However, a 10-second penalty for NEOM McLaren XE's Cristina Gutiérrez after a dropped Waypoint flag allowed ASXE to regain their position.
Catie Munnings of Andretti Altawkilat held on to claim victory in Heat 2.
In Heat 1 SUN Minimeal’s Timo Scheider made contact with E.ON Next Veloce’s Taylor while vying for the lead, resulting in an early 10-second penalty for SUN Minimeal. Despite leading at the Switch Zone, SUN Minimeal faced further challenges, including a puncture that sent Legacy M.C.'s Gray Leadbetter to the back of the pack.
A fierce battle between E.ON Next Veloce’s Kevin Hansen and JBXE’s Andreas Bakkerud saw contact and subsequent spins, but Hansen eventually secured the overtake. SUN Minimeal’s Klara Andersson finished first but suffered a dramatic roll at the finish line and a time penalty, promoting E.ON Next Veloce to the top spot in the heat.
Having taken heart from his performance at the British Grand Prix, Barbadian Formula 2 driver Zane Maloney is even more upbeat about the prospects for the remainder of the season.
Though he failed to secure a win, Maloney registered two podium finishes for his Rodin Motorsport team at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Those two second-place performances in the sprint and feature races, propelled Maloney back up the standings in third position on 101 points.
The 20-year-old is now 32 points behind Frenchman Isack Hadjar of Compos Racing, and 16 points adrift Estonia’s Paul Aron of Hitech Pulse-Eight, who occupies second position.
“To come away from the weekend with two P2s though, you can never complain. The only thing better is obviously Bahrain, but other than that, it’s the best weekend I’ve had in Formula 2, and I’m really happy about it,” Maloney said in an interview on the F2 website.
Still, Maloney believes the results could have been more positive had certain things gone their way.
“We struggled a bit in the sprint, but we know why looking back on it. Some things on my side, and some things that were out of our control, so we were confident going into the feature race even if it was wet.
Maloney in action (Photo: Formula Motorsport Limited).
“The feature was great. I think it was one of the best races I’ve done in a long time. Got a good start, made up three places up at turn 3, braking very late up the inside. We had great pace on the softs and the hards (tyres),” Maloney reasoned.
He continued: “I was having to push really hard to try and make the moves. I made a move on one of the Invictas I think, and then it was all about having a good pitstop.
“The team did a great stop, but unfortunately, I almost had a small crash in the pit lane, and I think that cost us the win. But after that, I had to push really hard to keep [Prema Racing driver] Ollie [Bearman of Great Britain] behind, killed the tyres a bit too much and struggled a bit at the end.”
With his next assignment being the July 19-21 Hungarian Grand Prix, Maloney believes his Rodin team are now well-placed to challenge for the Championship.
“I’ve never felt we were really out of the game to be honest. We’ve had one round that we struggled with pace in general, which was the [previous] round [in Speilberg, Austria], so to bounce back from that was amazing from the team,” Maloney declared.
“But for seven of eight rounds, we’ve been up there, on the pace and on the money, so I’m confident about the weekends to come, we just need to be focused on executing each session as well as possible. Still, somethings to improve from my side, but that’s the thing in general as a racing driver, but I think we’re back in the fight,” he added.
After Hungary, the championship will move to Belgium for July 26-28 action, followed by Italy for action from July 30 to August 1. The Azerbaijan meeting follows on September 13-15, with the November 29 to December 1 Qatar meeting, and Abu Dhabi action from December 6-8 to bring down the curtains on the season.
Max Verstappen was relieved to finish second at the British Grand Prix after fearing he might slide as low as fifth or sixth on a difficult weekend for Red Bull.
An emotional Lewis Hamilton claimed his first win since 2021, triumphing at Silverstone for a record-extending ninth time, after team-mate George Russell was forced to retire from pole.
Hamilton fought off a late challenge from old rival Verstappen to take the spoils, with the reigning world champion having struggled for pace in wet conditions.
After starting 2024 with seven wins in 10 races, Verstappen has won just two of the last five with both Mercedes and McLaren upping the pressure on Red Bull.
After Sunday's race, however, his main emotion was relief.
"We just didn't have the pace today," Verstappen told reporters in parc ferme. "I was just steadily dropping back when it mattered in the beginning, so it didn't look great.
"At some point I was really thinking, 'Are we going to finish fifth, sixth?' But we made the right calls, I think it was the right lap every time.
"At the end, the call from the team to be on the hard tyre instead of the soft was definitely helping me out.
"We finished second today, so it could've been a lot worse, but we're making the right calls – we're still onto the podium and I'm of course very happy with that."
Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez finished 17th as his miserable run of form continued – he has now failed to make the top six at six straight races.
It was also a difficult day for the two Ferraris, with Carlos Sainz coming in fifth and Charles Leclerc struggling with worn tyres in heavy rain as he finished 14th.
Leclerc has one fifth-place finish in his last four outings, also retiring in Canada and toiling to an 11th-placed finish in Austria last week.
"It was clearly the wrong strategy. I'll look into it. Obviously, with the message I got and the information I had in the car, I felt like it was the right one," he said of his tyre selection.
"This period is very hard. I don't really have the words to explain it, but it's been four races that it's been worse than a nightmare. I hope we can come back soon."
Lando Norris said he is "fed up" of making excuses despite claiming a seventh podium finish of the season at the British Grand Prix on Sunday.
Norris started and finished the race in third place as Lewis Hamilton claimed a record-extending ninth win at Silverstone ahead of Max Verstappen in second.
But a combination of poor tyre strategy and a slow pit stop proved to be Norris' downfall, as he fell further behind Verstappen in the driver's championship.
Having had the fastest car in recent weeks, the McLaren driver once again failed to make that advantage count and was disappointed with his performance.
"I'm fed up with just saying I should have done better and I should have done this and I could have done that, or whatever," Norris said. "So I don't care if it takes time.
"I don't want it to take time. I should be doing it now. We should be winning now. I should be making better decisions than what I'm making.
"So, I'm just disappointed. When it's a win in Formula One, I'm not going to settle for something less when we should have achieved it."
Despite his obvious frustration, Norris remained gracious in defeat as he praised Hamilton on his first victory since the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in 2021.
Norris admitted the seven-time world champion's know-how on when to pit won the veteran the race and gave him the edge.
"That's just driver feel and driver knowledge of when to box, and Lewis did a better job than me on that side," Norris conceded.
Hamilton's victory saw him become the first driver in history to win in 16 different years in the competition.
The Brit is now the 12th oldest driver to win in Formula 1 at 39 years and six months old, and set the record for the longest interval between first and last victory, both in terms of time (17 years and 27 days) and Grand Prix's (338) since Canada in 2007.
Lewis Hamilton found comfort in digging deep from "the bottom of the barrel" after doubting his ability before his historic British Grand Prix victory on Sunday.
The seven-time world champion had not triumphed in Formula One since December 2021 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but ended a 945-day wait for success with a record-extending win at Silverstone.
Mercedes driver Hamilton held off a late charge from championship leader Max Verstappen, clinching his ninth win at this event and breaking the record for the most F1 victories at a single race.
Having struggled throughout the last three years, an emotional Hamilton acknowledged the challenging period had taken its toll.
"It's so tough, I think for anyone, but the important thing is how you continue to get up and you've got to continue to dig deep even when you feel like you're at the bottom of the barrel," Hamilton told Sky Sports.
"There have definitely been days between 2021 and here where I didn't feel like I was good enough or I was going to get back to where I am today.
"But the important thing is I had great people around me, continuing to support me. My team, every time I turned up and saw them putting in the effort really encouraged me to do the same thing.
"Otherwise, my fans, when I see them around the world, they have been so supportive. So a big, big thank you to everybody."
This victory marked Hamilton's final home race as a Mercedes driver, as he prepares to join Ferrari at the end of the season.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff cut another emotional figure after a fitting farewell at Silverstone.
"Fantastic. You couldn't have written it better for our farewell at the British Grand Prix. That was great," Wolff said on Sky Sports.
"He had some difficult times recently. Then, some faultless driving in various conditions.
"I really enjoyed us bouncing back. We were one and two for a long time in the dry. Performance-wise, it looks like we are coming back."
Mercedes' improvements have been impressive in recent weeks, and the team have now won back-to-back races for the first time since 2021 between Sao Paulo and Saudi Arabia (all three won by Hamilton).
That pair of victories are their only two this season, however, as Mercedes remain fourth in the championship, behind leaders Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.
Lewis Hamilton ended his three-year wait for a Formula One victory after claiming a record-extending ninth British Grand Prix triumph on Sunday.
The seven-time world champion rolled back the years as he fended off a late challenge from Max Verstappen to emerge victorious.
Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate George Russell started on pole before Lando Norris snatched the lead, but pitstops proved pivotal in challenging conditions at Silverstone.
Russell's hopes of claiming back-to-back victories were dashed when a water system issue forced him to retire on lap 34.
Verstappen, who had struggled for pace through much of a race that was hit by two separate periods of rain, came on strong in the closing stages but it proved too little, too late for the defending world champion.
It marked Hamilton's 104th victory of his glittering career, and his first triumph since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix back in December 2021, ending a 945-day period without success.
Norris continued his pursuit of Verstappen in the driver's championship as he claimed the final podium place, with his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in fourth.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished in fifth as Nico Hulkenburg impressed again for Haas, finishing a place behind.
Data Debrief: Hamilton silver patch at Silverstone continued
Hamilton achieved a remarkable feat with this victory, surpassing his own eight-win record in Hungary and Michael Schumacher (also eight) in France for the most victories at a single event in F1 history.
Mercedes' improvements have been impressive in recent weeks, and the team have now won back-to-back races for the first time since 2021 between Sao Paulo and Saudi Arabia (all three won by Hamilton).
Both Russell and Norris will have to wait another year to become the 36th driver to win a home Grand Prix, however, as Hamilton's silver patch at Silverstone continued.
Though not successful for Verstappen, the championship leader still overtook Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso (both 106) for the fourth-most podium individual finishes in F1 history.
Top 10
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
9. Alex Albon (Williams)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 255 points
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 171
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 150
Constructors
1. Red Bull – 373
2. Ferrari – 302
3. McLaren – 295
Lewis Hamilton said it was "incredible" to see home drivers take the top three places in British Grand Prix qualifying as he and George Russell led McLaren's Lando Norris.
Russell beat fellow Mercedes driver Hamilton to pole position by 0.171 seconds at Silverstone, with Norris 0.211 seconds off.
Three-time world champion Max Verstappen was fourth, damaging the floor of his Red Bull in a rain-affected first session and struggling from then on.
Coming just one week after Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix, the result provided further evidence of a Mercedes upturn following their miserable start to the year.
The Silver Arrows have seen both of their drivers finish inside the top four places at each of the last three races, and Hamilton believes improvements to the team's car have given them a great chance of holding off Norris in Sunday's race.
"Three Brits in the top three is incredible. George did such a great job. We didn't expect to be on the front row this weekend," he told Sky Sports.
"This is huge for our team. The car felt great, it was just about getting tyre temperatures in the right place.
"There was still time left on the table, which George managed to find. I feel really confident about the car tomorrow and I think with the conditions, we can work together to keep Lando behind."
Norris, who has seven podium finishes in the last nine races, was full of praise for Mercedes but admitted he had failed to hit the heights of recent weeks.
"It's tough. I think George and Lewis did a great job. For two cars to get there shows the team were also doing an amazing job," he said.
"It was super close. I think if I'd put in a good enough lap it was close and could've been a bit of a fight.
"But this team have been very quick all weekend, since FP1. We're there or thereabouts, but I just didn't deliver it today."
George Russell said he could have only dreamt of securing pole position at the Silverstone but realised his fantasy on Saturday afternoon.
Russell edged Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren's Lando Norris to claim pole position at the British Grand Prix.
For the first-time ever at Silverstone, and the first time anywhere in F1 since 1968, the front three positions on Sunday's grid will be taken up by a trio of British drivers.
Russell beat Hamilton to pole position by 0.171 seconds with Norris, second to Russell after the first laps in the final session, 0.211secs off the pace after failing to complete his second lap.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start in fourth, with Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri making up the top five.
“What a feeling, at the start of this year I don’t think we could of even dreamt of being on pole here, one-two for me and Lewis, and Lando it’s just mega," Russell said.
"It’s down to these fans as well they give us so much energy so thank you for that.
“The car at the moment is feeling so good, it really came alive in quali and what a joy to drive around this circuit.
"We are riding this wave at the moment and I’m absolutely buzzing, but eyes on tomorrow, we’ve got a race to win and it’s going to be tight with Lando, Max is going to be fast as well but I’m so excited right now.”
It was an afternoon to forget for Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz finishing seventh-fastest behind Haas' Nico Hulkenberg, with team-mate Charles Leclerc starting in 11th.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll finished in eighth, with Williams driver Alex Albon and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso completing the top 10.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez will start at the back of the grid in 19th after spinning out in the first qualifying session.
Top 10
1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Alex Albon (Williams)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Lewis Hamilton acknowledged "anything's possible" but dismissed speculation surrounding his interest in buying MotoGP team Gresni.
The seven-time world champion has spoken of his desire for further involvement in sports teams in order to boost black ownership and equity.
Hamilton joined the ownership structure of NFL franchise Denver Broncos in 2022 - the same year he was part of an unsuccessful bid to buy Premier League side Chelsea.
Reports in British and Italian media have suggested he is looking to invest in MotoGP - a sport close to his heart having once taken part in a sponsored swap of machinery with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi.
However, Hamilton revealed it is a potential avenue he will explore further down the line.
"I've always loved MotoGP," he told reporters ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix. "I'm interested in the potential growth of the sport, but I haven't looked that far into it just yet.
"But anything's possible. I'm definitely interested in equity and already with the Broncos, it was a first step in team ownership. I think over the next five to 10 years, there'll hopefully be more. We'll see where."
Lando Norris drew a line under his collision with Max Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix as he looked ahead to their next battle at the British Grand Prix this weekend.
Norris was forced to retire from the race at the Red Bull Ring after a collision with the Dutchman late on, allowing George Russell to swoop in and claim the win.
Verstappen was able to finish fifth, further extending his lead at the top of the driver's championship to 81 points over Norris in second.
The McLaren driver was visibly upset about the incident shortly after the race, but is excited to get back on the track to challenge Verstappen once again.
"It's clear how he races. It's tough, it's on the limit. It's what we love, it's what I love," Norris said.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the whole fight I had with him. Of course it was a shame things ended the way they did.
"But apart from that, things are clear from what you see on TV and I'm excited to go racing again this weekend."
With all eyes firmly fixed on a new blossoming rivalry in F1, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was keen to steer clear of the situation.
Hamilton, who has enjoyed many battles with Verstappen over the years, is focused on delivering a first win since December 2021 for Mercedes.
"Nothing really. I didn't think anything," Hamilton said on the situation between the two championship leaders.
"I was more concerned about my race and enjoying the team's win."
Asked if he had any advice for Norris about racing Verstappen, Hamilton said: "Again, I don't think I need to. They have raced each other for many years.
"It's nothing to do with me."
Should Hamilton emerge victorious at Silverstone, he would become the driver with the most wins in a single Grand Prix in F1 history (nine), surpassing the record of eight already held by the Brit in Hungary and Michael Schumacher in France.
DRIVERS TO WATCH
George Russell - Mercedes
Having secured his second victory in F1 at the Austrian Grand Prix, George Russell will be keen to emerge victorious once again on home soil.
The Brit has enjoyed an impressive season thus far, finishing in the top five in each of the last four races, as many times as in the previous 15.
Russell has also performed significantly better than Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, beating the seven-time world champion in 11 of the last 13 qualifying sessions and in nine of the last 12 races.
Mercedes have improved in recent weeks, and should Russell or Hamilton emerge victorious, it will be the first time the team has won two races in a row since 2021 between Sao Paulo and Saudi Arabia - all three won by Hamilton.
Oscar Piastri - McLaren
While much of the attention has been on team-mate Norris in recent weeks, Oscar Piastri's performances on the track have gone under the radar.
Piastri finished second behind Russell in Austria, but has been on the podium in two of the last four races, the other being in Monaco where he lost out to Charles Leclerc.
The Australian sits in sixth place in the driver's championship, a point ahead of Russell and six points behind Red Bull's Sergio Perez.
He could become just the third Australian driver to win the race after Jack Brabham and Mark Webber, and the first to claim a victory at Silverstone since Webber did so for Red Bull-Renault in 2012.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 237 points
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 156
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 150
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 135
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – 118
Constructors
1. Red Bull – 355
2. Ferrari – 291
3. McLaren – 268
4. Mercedes – 196
5. Aston Martin – 58
Oliver Bearman will take a full-time seat in Formula 1 next season, having officially joined Haas.
Bearman, who finished seventh on his F1 debut for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix earlier this season, has signed a multi-year contract with Haas ahead of the 2025 campaign.
The 19-year-old will become the fourth British driver on the grid alongside Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris.
Bearman's first appearance on the track came in March in Jeddah, replacing Carlos Sainz after the Spaniard was diagnosed with appendicitis, becoming the third-youngest driver to start an F1 race at 18 years and 305 days old.
"It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me," said Bearman.
"To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for Haas makes me so immensely proud.
"To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing that they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible.
The Ferrari reserve driver will be on track at the British Grand Prix on Friday for the first free practice session before handing the car back to Kevin Magnussen for the rest of the weekend.
Bearman is 14th in the F2 standings this season.
Red Bull chief Christian Horner has no expectations of Max Verstappen changing his aggressive tactics after the contentious collision with McLaren's Lando Norris.
The pair were battling for the lead at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix before crashing seven laps from the finish line.
Reigning Formula One champion Verstappen was deemed responsible and hit with a 10-second time penalty, though recovered to finish fifth as Norris was forced out of the race in a blow to his championship hopes.
That drama allowed Mercedes' George Russell to triumph but Horner does not expect Verstappen to hold back next time, even suggesting Norris must learn to adapt.
"I understand they've spoken already, I don't think there is any issue," Horner told Sky Sports News ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
"Certainly, from Max's side, he's not going to change. There's an element, I think, of Lando learning how to race Max and they're discovering that.
"Inevitably, there is going to be more close racing between the two of them as the cars look so close over the forthcoming races.
"Max is a hard racer – he's probably one of the hardest racers on the circuit and everybody knows that if you're going to race against Max, he's going to give as good as he gets."
Many pinpointed the blame at the hands of Verstappen, who has pushed the limits close in recent F1 seasons.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was among those to fiercely criticise the Dutchman, yet Horner believes the scrutiny is unjustified.
"He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he's a tough racer, and he hasn't really been racing anyone for two years because he's been out front so much," Horner said.
"The conflict between the two of them has been building over two, three, four races where they've been racing each other closely and hard, and at some point that was always going to spill over – and it did at Turn 3.
"He was punished in 2021 if he did something wrong just as Lewis [Hamilton], who he was racing so hard that year, was for things he did wrong.
"I think it's wrong and unfair to label a driver like that and I'm sure in the heat of the moment it was frustrating for Andrea, but that's just tough racing.
"He worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for so many years – he of all people should know that."
Lando Norris admitted he could "lose respect" for Max Verstappen if he does not take the blame for their collision in Austria.
The two were competing for first place when the contact was made on lap 64, leaving the race open for George Russell to win, with Norris forced to retire as a result.
Three laps later, Verstappen was hit with a 10-second penalty after a virtual safety car and eventually finished in fifth.
Norris expressed his frustration at his race being cut short and confessed his friendship with Verstappen could be affected as a result.
"I'm disappointed, nothing more than that, honestly," Norris told Sky Sports F1. "It was a good race. I looked forward to probably, I'd say, just a fair battle, a strong fair battle. But I wouldn't say that's what it was in the end.
"Tough one to take. It was a mistake-free race from my side, and I feel like I did a good job but I got taken out of the race, so nothing more than that.
"I don't know [if their friendship will be affected]. It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, then I'll lose a lot of respect for that.
"If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and just being a bit reckless in a way, then I'll have a small amount of respect for it.
"But it's still a tough one to take when we're fighting for the win and I'm trying to be fair from my side and he just wasn't. That's not what I'm thinking about. I don't care about that now. I'm just gutted for the team."
Verstappen was chasing what would have been a fifth consecutive win in Austria and remains just one podium away from overtaking Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso as the diver with the fourth-highest solo podium finishes.
Asked about Norris' post-race comments, the Dutchman was careful not to take any of the blame without first talking to the McLaren driver.
"I need to look back at how or why we touched. Of course, we will talk about it," Verstappen said to Sky Sports F1. "It's just unfortunate it happened.
"I felt like sometimes he dive-bombed so late on the brakes. One time he went straight. One time I had to go around the sausage otherwise we would have touched.
"I think it's also the shape of the corner provides these kind of issues sometimes. I've had it also the other way around. It is what it is. It's never nice to come together."
George Russell believes Mercedes' persistence finally paid off as he secured their first win of the 2024 season at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Russell began the race in third but benefitted from a collision caused by Max Verstappen, who was hit with a time penalty, with Lando Norris, who was forced to retire.
The Briton took full advantage, speeding past the stricken vehicles to claim just his second career win.
After finishing in the top five in each of the last three races, Russell was pleased to continue building on Mercedes' momentum.
"It's no secret with Red Bull and Max, and McLaren with Lando are still a little bit out in front," Russell said. "But we are always putting ourselves in that third-place position in the last couple of races.
"If anything happens up front, we will then pick it up. What an exciting time for us.
"We are riding a bit of a wave at the moment; these last three races have been incredible. I think realistically we probably could have won the race in Canada, but this makes up for one too many mistakes on my side."
The collision between Verstappen and Norris came on lap 64 of 71, with both drivers vying for the lead, but Russell was not surprised by it.
"[Verstappen and Norris] were going for it. I couldn't believe how close we were to Lando and Max," Russell added. "We were only about 12 seconds behind, and I knew [the collision] was a possibility. You are always dreaming.
"It was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race just to hold onto that P3 and I saw on the TV Max and Lando getting pretty hard. I knew Lando would be wanting to get that race win.
"The team have done an amazing job to get us into this fight, and you've got to be there to pick it up the pieces and that's where we were."
Mercedes claimed a huge win at the Austrian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen was hit with a time penalty for causing a crash.
Reigning Formula One champion Verstappen collided with his title rival Lando Norris, who was forced out of Sunday's race, and was penalised 10 seconds for his trouble.
That crash came on lap 64 out of 71, with Verstappen - who had led for much of the race from pole - penalised three laps later after a virtual safety car at Spielberg.
And Russell took full advantage by speeding past the stricken vehicles of Verstappen and Norris to claim his and Mercedes' first race victory of the season.
It marks the Briton's second career win.
It was not all doom and gloom for McLaren despite Norris' crash, with Oscar Piastri clinching second place.
Carlos Sainz rounded out the podium, while Lewis Hamilton took fourth ahead of Verstappen, who was incredibly close to taking a record-setting fifth victory at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg came in sixth, while Charles Leclerc endured a difficult day and finished 11th.
Data Debrief: Frustration for Lando and Max
Norris had finished in the top four in each of the last six races before this one, as many times as in the previous 15. He is one podium away from equalling John Watson as the 13th-highest British driver with the most podiums in Formula 1 history, but he will now have to wait for that particular feat.
Verstappen, too, was dealt a blow. He remains just one podium away from overtaking Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso as the driver with the fourth-highest solo podium finishes in F1 history.
Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, marked his 250th F1 race with a ninth-place finish.
Top 10
1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
8. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
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