Spielberg (Austria) (AFP) – Just when it seemed the drivers' championship might become a one-horse race, Kimi Antonelli proved he is as human as anyone else and his main, vastly more experienced, rivals showed signs of a sustained response.
Issued on: 29/06/2026 - 16:58
4 min Reading time
The 19-year-old Italian's demonstration of precocity and over-enthusiasm on the opening lap of Sunday's closely-fought Austrian Grand Prix confirmed his natural talent for speed and car control, but also an innocent vulnerability to errors. It made sure, too, that his Mercedes team-mate George Russell had a clear opportunity to convert a cool-headed pole position into an equally cold-blooded drive to a second win in Austria and the seventh of his career. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Sunday's tight and strategic tussle in the heatwave of the Styrian Alps.Russell refocussed on title bid Two consecutive pole positions and a morale-boosting win in a 'heatwave hazard' race may not yet have restored Russell's confidence entirely, but the swagger with which he triumphed at the Red Bull Ring showed he is well on the way. Having had his nose pushed out of shape by the sheer elan and impudence of his teenage team-mate's romp to the head of the drivers' title race, the 28-year-old Briton needed to refocus.
