David Coulthard observed Max Verstappen moving gingerly after the Austrian Grand Prix, prompting a health update from the Red Bull driver. Verstappen, who finished second at the Red Bull Ring, explained that he had knocked his knees during the race. “I knocked my knees. You know, hit the bones. It's not very nice, but today was okay. So that was the most important thing,” he said in his post-race interview with Coulthard.
Verstappen's Performance and Car Upgrades
Despite the discomfort, Verstappen's performance was a highlight for Red Bull, marking their strongest Grand Prix of the year. Upgrades that brought the car down to its target weight appeared to boost performance, allowing Verstappen to be the quickest on track at times during the 71-lap race. He challenged George Russell for the lead in the middle stint, closing to within a second, but a strategic error—extending his tyre stint too long—left him over 10 seconds adrift after a pit stop.
Race Dynamics and Final Standings
Russell capitalized on the gap, managing his tyres and temperatures, and held off Verstappen in the latter stages. Verstappen spent the final laps defending against Kimi Antonelli, who narrowly missed a Mercedes one-two by just three-tenths of a second. Verstappen expressed satisfaction: “I think it was a very good race for us. The first two laps were quite fun. And then it was basically just trying to manage all your tyres. And honestly, I think the car was in quite a good window for, I would say, half of the race. And then we just picked up a few, let's say, issues with the car, which then prevented me from basically finding that nice rhythm. But still, to be second, that close to a win, I think is extremely positive for us. So in that sense, for sure, I'm very happy.”
Russell's Victory and Team Efforts
Race winner George Russell commented: “It's incredible to be back on the top step. It's been a little while, so I'm definitely going to enjoy this one this evening. It's been a lot of hard work with my team to get us back on track. Obviously, there was a tricky run of form at one point. Max and Red Bull were incredibly quick this weekend, so kudos to them. I was having to push every single lap.”
