SPIELBERG, Austria ¨C George Russell returned to the top of the Formula One podium in Austria on Sunday with what Mercedes ?team boss Toto Wolff called a ¡°cold-blooded¡± performance after a tough couple of months for ?the Briton. ?
Russell questioned that choice of words, preferring to see his ?seventh career win as ¡°calm and controlled¡± while recognizing he was relieved to win again for the first time since the season opener in Australia in March.
After Melbourne, Russell¡¯s 19-year-old Italian ?teammate Kimi Antonelli went on a run of five wins in a row and remains 40 points ?clear at the top of the standings after eight of a likely 22 rounds.
¡°It¡¯s been a tough couple of months with some really tricky races, ?with races that felt like everything ?was going against me, then some races with some tough performances,¡± Russell, who started the year as the title favorite, said of ?a race that saw ?Antonelli finish third.
¡°Obviously, I¡¯ve got a really incredible teammate next ?to me who week in, week out, is delivering some pretty spectacular ?performances. So, ?for me, going into Canada, going into Barcelona from quite a low point, I needed a lot of resilience to be able to get back and deliver some strong performances.
¡°To get the last two poles, to get the win here ?this weekend, especially on a track which I don¡¯t think is so suited to me, I¡¯m really, really proud.¡±
Russell said he had never doubted his ability but getting the tires working properly, and getting on top of the overall package, had been a challenge.
Wolff said Russell had ?done ?everything right, with perfect execution from third practice on Saturday after ?Antonelli dominated the first two sessions on Friday.
¡°He was quick, managed the tires well, ?cold-blooded,¡± added the Austrian. ¡°Really happy for him.
¡°He knows that he can drive fast and sometimes you just have to put one and one together. Maybe ease off on yourself a little bit. Just drive...the thinking part, leave it to the ?people in the garage.¡±
Wolff said the same principle applied when it came to holding off Red Bull¡¯s runner-up Max Verstappen in the race.
¡°Not thinking too much about strategy, not thinking too much what¡¯s the gap behind,¡± he said. ¡°Just go and extract the maximum out of the car. That¡¯s what he did.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.