George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes after the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria on June 28, 2026. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesGeorge Russell of Mercedes reclaimed second place in the world championship after securing victory at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg.Starting from pole position, the Englishman held his ground from the lights out, fighting off challenges throughout the 71-lap race to eventually secure his second win of the season with a margin of 1.611s and get himself back into title contention.Max Verstappen climbed up the field from his fifth-place grid start to secure second place in his Red Bull - his best finishing result so far this season.The Dutchman engaged in an intense duel with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on his way to snatch P2 and also fended off a late challenge from current championship leader Kimi Antonelli.The Mercedes youngster settled for third place and was only 0.375s off the pace of Verstappen, having made mistakes early on when he ran wide three times in the opening laps while trying to improve from P4.Oscar Piastri took fourth place for McLaren ahead of Hamilton and Isack Hadjar in the other Red Bull, while defending champion Lando Norris locked in seventh in the second McLaren and Charles Leclerc settled for a disappointing eighth for the Scuderia.MORE FOR YOURounding out the points were Racing Bulls’ duo of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, who scored ninth and 10th respectively.SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JUNE 28: George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas on the podium with a Mercedes employee, Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 28, 2026 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)Getty ImagesWith eight rounds now complete, Antonelli holds a 40-point advantage over Russell in the standings while third-place Hamilton sits just six points behind his former teammate and 46 points off the lead.Despite the advantage, Antonelli’s results in the last two races have put his maiden title bid under a bit of pressure.After going five consecutive races unbeaten, the Italian man walked away from Barcelona empty-handed after suffering a DNF in the final laps of the race due to an engine failure while his title rivals picked up valuable points to chip away at his lead. The 19-year-old could have also had a chance to fight for the win yesterday in Spielberg if not for a shaky start to the race and a less-than-ideal qualifying position, managing 15 points for his P3 finish at the end.Now both Russell and Barcelona race winner Hamilton will be aiming to put even more pressure on Antonelli in the upcoming rounds and turn the 2026 title conversation on its head.ForbesF1 2026 Calendar: Full Race Schedule And Sprint VenuesBy Yara ElshebinyForbesF1 2026 Grid: Confirmed Driver Lineups For Each TeamBy Yara ElshebinyF1 Standings 2026 – Drivers’ ChampionshipHere are the updated drivers’ standings after the Austrian Grand Prix:Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 171 pointsGeorge Russell (Mercedes): 131 pointsLewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 125 pointsOscar Piastri (McLaren): 80 pointsLando Norris (McLaren): 79 pointsCharles Leclerc (Ferrari): 79 pointsMax Verstappen (Red Bull): 73 pointsIsack Hadjar (Red Bull): 42 pointsPierre Gasly (Alpine): 41 pointsLiam Lawson (Racing Bulls): 30 pointsOliver Bearman (Haas): 18 pointsFranco Colapinto (Alpine): 16 pointsArvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls): 14 pointsCarlos Sainz (Williams): 6 pointsAlexander Albon (Williams): 5 pointsEsteban Ocon (Haas): 3 pointsGabriel Bortoleto (Audi): 2 pointsFernando Alonso (Aston Martin): 1 pointNico Hulkenberg (Audi): 0 pointsValtteri Bottas (Cadillac): 0 pointsSergio Perez (Cadillac): 0 pointsLance Stroll (Aston Martin): 0 pointsF1 Standings 2026 – Constructors’ ChampionshipHere are the updated constructors’ standings after the Austrian Grand Prix:Mercedes: 302 pointsFerrari: 204 pointsMcLaren: 159 pointsRed Bull: 1115 pointsAlpine: 57 pointsRacing Bulls: 44 pointsHaas: 21 pointsWilliams: 11 pointsAudi: 2 pointsAston Martin: 1 pointCadillac: 0 pointsThe next round of the 2026 season is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, scheduled for July 3-5.