George Russell suffers power issue as Verstappen wins Styrian grand prix

As predicted in our preview, Verstappen, Hamilton, and Bottas took 1,2,3 for a podium finish, while Williams George Russell was forced to retire on lap 26 after a power unit issue. It was a big disappointment after a strong qualifying performance saw him match his best position of the season in 11th, reaching Q2 for an eighth consecutive race with a final time of 1:04.671. In his post match interview view with understandable disappointment and stated:

Unfortunately, we had a very rare issue with the power unit that we’re still looking into. It’s such a shame as we’ve been working so hard and we were in a great position to capitalise on a strong week. I had a good start today and was managing my tyres well in P8, so everything was great up until then. Racing is cruel sometimes, but we’re all pushing together, and these things happen. I’m looking forward to going again next week.

Nicholas Latifi finished 17th in the Styrian Grand Prix, after qualifying in 16th posting a 1:05.175. Nicholas ran a two-stop race, making an unscheduled stop initially on lap one for the soft compound following a right rear puncture at the start of the race. He stopped once again on lap 27 for the hard Pirelli tyre. In his interview he commented:

I got a good start and made up a position or so, but then got boxed in around the exit of turn one and was stuck on the outside. When the cars in front of me made contact, I got clipped which caused a puncture and so we had to pit on the first lap which meant I was running a lap down almost instantly. From then I got caught in a blue-flag cycle and so making any progress was difficult. We’ll go again next weekend, and hopefully have a better race.

Willaims Head of Performance Dave Robson said it was

“A frustrating day for both drivers and the whole team. The car was reasonably strong all weekend, but we were unable to deliver the result that the pace deserved. Nicholas suffered a puncture on the opening lap following some contact at T3. Despite quickly falling back into the blue flags, he was able to recover well and beat Mazepin. George had a good start and was in a strong position throughout his opening stint. Unfortunately, an issue with power unit developed early in the race and although we attempted to rectify it at the pitstop, we were forced to retire the car shortly afterwards. It has been a tough day for the entire team, but the car was working well and we are looking forward to going again next week at the same circuit.”

With the Austrian Grand Prix up next on the 2nd July also on the Red Bull Ring, it is hoped George will have a strong showing in practise and qualifying, as a top 10 finish is in his sights.