As George Russell claimed his second Formula One Grand Prix victory, his team mate cut a lonely and frustrated image in the media pen. Lewis Hamilton hasn’t won since Qatar 2021, the race before the infamous show down in the desert of Abu Dhabi. The 56 race win drought appears to be falling heavier and heavier on the seven times world champions shoulders particularly given his team mate has now out qualified him 9-2 this year and finished ahead the same number of times.
Yet Lewis finishing P4 was the second best finish of his season to date, but the Mercedes driver was some 23 seconds behind his victorious team mate once again in the same machinery.
Hamilton admitted after the Sprint he was changing his setup more in line with George’s to find “a better balance.” Yet in qualifying for the Grand Prix, Hamilton’s laps were scruffy as he admitted himself but there was hope for Hamilton as he finished P5 in between the Ferrari’s. George was two places higher on the grid but with a time just 0.043 quicker than Lewis.
Wolff defends Hamilton’s “bad days”
Lewis enjoyed a good start to the race, taking Carlos Sainz around the outside of turn 1. Yet the Mercedes driver was told to give the place back given he’d completed the move outside the white lines defining the track limits.
Replays show Hamilton’s drive through the run off area was relatively uncomplicated and at the time it didn’t appear he’d damaged the car. At Lewis’ first pit stop all didn’t go well. The British driver over cooked his entry into turn nine which saw his car slide outside the line defining the pit lane entry. The transgression was spotted by the eagle eyed Oscar Piastri who was running right behind the Mercedes and the predictable five second penalty was issued to Lewis soon after.
Hamilton continued to lose ground to his team mate but later it was revealed by Toto Wolff that his driver had floor damage which surprisingly added up to the exact time deficit to George having added the five second penalty.
“Yeah, it was one of his bad days,” Wolff told assembled media. “A pretty decent start and then Turn 1, Lap 1, giving the position back was a harsh thing. But it was pretty clear that we wouldn’t be getting a 10-second penalty by not doing it,” observed Toto.
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“On top of that, we had floor damage because of the kerb ride, which I guess most people have but his was extensive. It was two and a half tenths in parts that broke off on the kerb. So no reason to be angry or upset about it,” Wolff concluded.
Hamilton appeared to believe he’d done the damage with his off track excursion at the start of the race. “I’m not really quite sure,” he said. “I think I got, in Turn 1 a bit of damage and then the floor is just falling apart. I don’t know when I got the damage from that.
“I haven’t yet seen the video, so I don’t have much more to say.”
Lewis had been downbeat over his performance for most of the weekend having lost out to his team mate also in the Sprint sessions. With more than half a season remaining, Lewis needs to get his chin up if not he could be almost white washed by George Russell.
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Hamilton was disappointed how the race had gone for him but was gracious enough to congratulate the team and George Russell.
“I mean, from my side it’s not that different. But George as you can see he’s doing pretty well. So, that’s a huge boost for us.
“A big victory for George and the team. This is an amazing result.”
Toto Wolff unusually intervened on team radio during the race to both of his drivers. The first episode sounded like he was giving Lewis a bit of a kick up the backside as Hamilton was in a phase of the race where he was making little progress.
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Russell expletive at his boss
As the carnage at turn one between leaders Norris and Verstappen unfolded, an excited Mercedes team boss pressed the comms button to shout at Russell: “George, you can win this! You can win this George!”
At the time Russell was approaching the biggest braking point on the track and was shocked by the pit radio intervention.
“Just let me f***ing drive!,” Russell responded without regard for his boss.
Yet after the race, Toto admitted on reflection it was an embarrassing display of pent up emotion.
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“I think I know the drivers pretty well and what they need at times to encourage or to refocus, because I spend so much time with them,” explained Wolff. “I think I know the psychology.
“But this one is the single dumbest thing I’ve done in 12 years at Mercedes. I will be forever ashamed by this, because you look at where you message the driver. You don’t do it under braking or in high-speed corners,” Toto admitted.
Race engineers watch the GPS trace to see where the drivers are on circuit before speaking to them over team radio. If the driver needs extra concentration at the moment, they will wait until he is under less pressure.
“But I didn’t look on the GPS where he was. I just saw these two [Verstappen and Norris] taking each other out and we anticipated it.” Wolff explained.
“I emotionally pushed the button and said ‘We can win this’. I could have taken him out with this message. Imagine how that would have felt!
“But seriously…embarrassing.”
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Of course there’s the iconic F1 TV moment most fans will remember from the Mercedes team boss back in 2021. As the race director indicated there would be a one lap shootout following the safety car, Wolff was filmed slamming his headphones on the desk shouting “NO!!!… NO!!!”
Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz mocked Christian Horner while waiting for the presentation ceremony saying, “You’ve just given Mercedes…. You’ve just given Toto a race win!!”
The Red Bull boss drew breath before congratulation both Mercedes and George on their win at the. 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
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The Formula One Austrian Grand Prix may be a turning point in this season’s title race. The scenario has now occurred where Max Verstappen fails to score the bigger points in a Grand Prix while Sergio in his usual lower regions of the top ten. Yet Red Bull were fortunate given only Mercedes who are in third place could benefit from their two cars closing the gap on the world champions.
Theres another reason the Austrian Grand Prix was a turning point, it was the race where finally it erupted between the two drivers’ title contenders. Prior to the cars hitting the track in Spielberg, Lando had discussed with the media how after such a close race in Barcelona, he and Max had taken the same flight home together.
The British driver had discussed how both he and Max had “proper respect” for each other and how their racing had always been ‘on the edge’, but “clean.”…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
