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George Russell taped back together the script he had written for himself, the one fate and his team-mate had ripped up. It had taken 112 days of worry, but he won the Austrian Grand Prix from pole, his world championship dream relit.
It was Russell’s first triumph since he launched his challenge with victory in Melbourne on March 8. Since then, he has watched his supposed understudy Kimi Antonelli steer matching Mercedes machinery to the top step five times.
But in this sun-baked valley high in the Styrian mountains, it was Russell’s turn to move within 40 points of the championship leader. ‘Cold-blooded,’ cooed team boss Toto Wolff. It had to Jackal-chilled because Max Verstappen was on his tail in the nerve-jangling middle of the race.
In the end, Russell’s pace and assurance were too much, with Verstappen finishing a typically pugnacious second for Red Bull and Antonelli third after some early hot-rodding led him off track.
Russell deserved success ever since his blistering pole on Saturday, set despite a yellow flag coming out when Verstappen spun at the penultimate corner at the close of qualifying, compelling the Briton to lift off the throttle. He knew the rules and clear-headedly acted in accordance with them.
Verstappen, it must be added, also richly warranted his runners-up place because the spill was not his fault. He was undone by a mechanical issue and condemned to start fifth.
George Russell's victory in Austria took him to within 40 points of team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the drivers' standings
The Brit cruised to victory after seeing off the challenge of a resurgent Max Verstappen
But, barring a change of fortunes – and who can rule it out? – Verstappen is not contesting the championship. Russell, however, is. We can assert that with some authority after these 71 laps at the Red Bull Ring. Had he flunked it, or others outpaced him, Russell’s prospects would head to Silverstone this coming weekend in need of CPR, pronto. It was that big a weekend for him and not only owing to the mathematical equation becoming increasingly complex to compute.
His mind needed the balm, too. He had to prove to himself that his pre-season self-belief, buttressed by winter testing, was not a chimera. Then, he bore a film-star strut. That high-stepping air had been tempered in recent weeks, misfortune and Antonelli's relative speediness assailing him. Yes, he maintained that he still backed himself, but he must have suffered faint doubts by a thousand cuts.
He was cleanly away and never much rattled, at least other than for one small lock-up as Verstappen asked searching questions on lap 36. The curtain of opportunity revealed a glimmer of light to the Dutchman, but Russell was quickly back into his stride.
He produced enough fleet of foot after his second and final stop that when Verstappen pitted shortly afterwards, he was nearly 11 seconds back rather than breathing hot air on Russell’s balaclava.
If it was a revitalising day for Russell, it was less so for Lewis Hamilton, who started as Antonelli’s closest rival for the title, 40 points back after his first win for Ferrari, in Barcelona a fortnight ago.
The seven-time world champion started third and raced well, yet came off second best to Verstappen as they went wheel-to-wheel on two captivating occasions.
Hamilton fought hard, but fairly, in not allowing Max a free voucher. Verstappen ran his right wheels off the track as they duelled. A spray of gravel. Verstappen cried foul. The stewards rightly waved the protest away.
But Verstappen was not done, and, on lap 22, he passed Hamilton on the inside of Turn Six. He had previously tried to squeeze ahead there on the outside. Now the artful dodger inveigled himself precisely where Hamilton was not expecting him. It was the overtake of the afternoon.
Hamilton is clearly much improved from last year, with three consecutive podiums, but his attempt to recapture lightning in a bottle for a second successive race was not helped by the misguided decision to bring him in for a pointless tyre change – one more than all of the top seven finishers – during a virtual safety car period brought about by Carlos Sainz’s Williams conking out.
Ferrari will be Ferrari.
Hamilton fell from third to seventh, and eventually fifth, a place behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The legend chasing his eighth title is 46 points off Antonelli. ‘A reality check,’ he admitted.
As for Russell, his margin was 1.6sec. ‘Yabba-dabba-doo!’ he exclaimed, relief bursting out of Formula One’s Fred Flintstone, before he received his winner’s medal from Bernie Ecclestone, who patted him on both cheeks. George proceeded to guzzle the Moet & Chandon like the Great Gatsby.