The 2025 Austrian Grand Prix delivered high drama and punishing heat, with track temperatures soaring past 50°C, making it the hottest day of the weekend—and one of the most physically demanding races of the season.
Despite strategic execution and early promise, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team left Spielberg without podium silverware. George Russell secured a resilient P5, while Kimi Antonelli suffered a heartbreaking DNF just moments after the lights went out.
Race Breakdown: Heat Turns Up the Pressure
George Russell, starting P5 on medium compound tires, held position through the Safety Car restart and traded positions with Lewis Hamilton in a feisty P4 battle. While the pass didn’t stick, Russell delivered a consistent drive under scorching conditions, using a Medium–Medium–Hard strategy to claim fifth at the line.
Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, had his hopes dashed early. From P9, the Italian rookie locked both rear and front brakes going into Turn Three while trying to avoid contact. Unfortunately, this led to a collision with Max Verstappen and both drivers were forced to retire. Post-race, Antonelli was handed a three-place grid penalty to be served at the British Grand Prix next weekend.
Performance Snapshot
| Driver | Starting Grid | Finish | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Russell | P5 | P5 | 1:09.372 |
| Kimi Antonelli | P9 | DNF | – |
| Car No. | Start Tire | First Stop | Second Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 63 | Medium | Medium (Lap 18) | Hard (Lap 46) |
| No. 12 | Medium | – | – |
George Russell:
“This Grand Prix laid bare both our strengths and weaknesses with the W16. Extreme heat really affects our performance, and P5 was all we could pull out today.
With Silverstone ahead, I’m confident we can bounce back—especially if the temperatures cool down a bit.”
Kimi Antonelli:
“I’m deeply disappointed. I tried to hold my position at the start but misjudged the braking zone. I apologize to the team and to Max—it’s not the kind of race I wanted to have.
Thankfully, we race again soon, and I’m focusing entirely on Silverstone.”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO:
“It was a tough day. Kimi’s error was unfortunate, but it’s part of the learning curve. George did well, maximizing what was available.
We now need to understand why the car struggled in this heat and fix it quickly. Silverstone offers a chance for redemption.”
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director:
“Kimi’s incident was a tough blow. On George’s side, high tyre degradation under extreme conditions exposed our limitations again. The team is now fully focused on engineering improvements ahead of the British Grand Prix.”
Noah Strømsted – FIA F3:
“Started P3 and got up to P2 early, but couldn’t hang on. P8 isn’t where we want to be. We’re regrouping fast and preparing for a stronger showing at Silverstone.”