Max Verstappen slapped with huge penalty after controversial Austrian GP collision as George Russell claims shock win

GEORGE RUSSELL snatched victory from the jaws of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris after the duo’s shock collision in Austria.

Huge drama erupted on lap 64 as Norris and Verstappen hit each other at Turn Three leaving them BOTH with punctures and Mercedes’ Russell soaring into the lead.

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Amid the melee Verstappen managed to rejoin the race in fifth after pitting with a ten second time penalty for ‘causing a collision’ – while Norris was forced to retire.

It had been an all out war before they collided with Verstappen just keeping the McLaren driver at bay despite going off the track on lap 59.

Verstappen, at his home race in the Red Bull Ring, said on his team radio: “He forced me off again. He’s just dive-bombing.”

While Norris was heard saying: “He can’t keep moving after I’ve moved, it’s just dangerous.”

Christian Horner said after the race: “Heads up Max. Lando didn’t behave correctly.

While Verstappen fumed: “This is ridiculous.”

It was all smoothing sailing for Verstappen who looked on course for a third win in a row for the first time this season.

He burst out the traps at the start and pulled well clear of Norris in his McLaren who kept Russell at bay.

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But the comeback was on for Norris when he pitted at the same time as Verstappen – who stopped for a whopping six-and-half seconds on lap 52.

The slow pit-stop was largely due to a slow tyre change on the rear left from Red Bull’s pit crew.

Verstappen’s huge eight second lead was reduced to just three ahead of Norris in his McLaren.

There were some positives still for McLaren who saw Oscar Piastri toast his fourth podium ever in F1 as he finished in second ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in third-place.

Lewis Hamilton just missed out on a podium finish after finishing in fourth after securing his first podium finish with third-place in Barcelona last time out.

Disaster struck for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the first lap who suffered a nightmare start.

It all began when Sergio Perez pushed Oscar Piastri off the track at Turn Four and dropped behind Leclerc.

Perez closed in on the Monaco-born driver a couple of corners later and Leclerc broke his front wing after contact with Piastri and was forced to pit before finishing in eleventh and missing out on points.

Reuters