Wolff hails 'cold blooded' Russell after crucial Austrian GP win
Photo: Race Pictures
Updated:
4 Comments
Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has praised George Russell for "perfect execution" throughout the Austrian GP weekend, with the Briton regaining P2 in the Drivers' standings ahead of Lewis Hamilton after victory in Spielberg.
Russell's commanding win from Pole Position, ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli at the Red Bull Ring, now sees him 40 points behind the latter, with Wolff hailing a "cold blooded" race from the Briton.
The 28-year-old secured Pole in rather strange circumstances - Russell had to pass a single yellow flag on his final flyer after Verstappen's Q3 crash but was deemed to have lifted sufficiently on his way to achieving P1 by two tenths on Leclerc - the sign of an experienced driver Wolff said he was "proud" of on Saturday.
Wolff thrilled for 'cold blooded' Russell
ADVERTISEMENT
Photo: Race Pictures
Russell got away well on Lap 1 in Austria from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who got involved in an epic battle with old rival Verstappen in the opening stages. The Silver Arrow driver's lead was hardly in doubt throughout.
Speaking to Sky F1 post-race, Wolff reflected on Russell's race, he said: "Since Q3 yesterday, until now, perfect execution [from Russell]. He was quick, managed the tyres well, cold blooded, really happy for him.
"He knows he can drive fast and sometimes you just have to put one and one together. Just drive! It's never good when racing drivers think too much!
"We said the best race is the quickest race. Don't manage, make sure you don't kill the rears, but we are doing this by pushing the front [tyres] and that's what he did, not thinking too much about strategy or the gap behind. Just go go, extract the maximum from the car and that's what he did."
ADVERTISEMENT
Wolff also proud of 'racehorse' Antonelli
Photo: Race Pictures
Wolff also made sure to praise championship leader Antonelli, after his P3 finish. The Italian teenager was chasing down Verstappen in P2 right to the line - 0.3s behind in the end.
The 19-year-old, however, was a little too keen at race start, having twice gone off-track on Lap 1 starting from P4 in Austria. The Mercedes boss said: "I am very proud of Kimi.
"He was very eager in the beginning to get the victory done in the first couple of laps and that cost him but I liked the enthusiasm. He just goes for it. We want a driver to be full on the attack all the time. You can't accelerate a donkey but you can calm down a racehorse."
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google