Untelevised Austrian GP footage shows two Lewis Hamilton moments with George Russell
George Russell, Toto Wolff, Mercedes champagne celebrations
Although disappointed with his own “shocking” Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was quickly alongside George Russell to congratulate his team-mate on the victory.
Russell secured an unexpected victory at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday as his lonely P3 turned into a P1 when Max Verstappen and Lando Norris tangled on lap 64.
Lewis Hamilton’s ‘well deserved’ message to George Russell
Attempting to pass Verstappen around the outside of the Turn 3, the Dutchman closed the door on the McLaren driver was he moved to the left with the two making contact.
Both cars suffered punctures, Russell storming past the stricken cars as he made his way into the lead to win his second-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix.
He received applause and a thumbs up from his seven-time World Champion team-mate with Hamilton fourth on the day.
Out of the cars a short while later, the 39-year-old also went over to Russell to give him a congratulatory hug.
“Really happy for the team,” Hamilton told Sky F1. “Everyone at the factory has worked so hard this year to get a result like this so big congratulations to the team and to George… well deserved.”
As for his own race, though, he called that “pretty shocking.”
Hamilton later revealed to the media, including PlanetF1.com, that his W15 had suffered floor damage on the very first lap costing him valuable lap time.
“I’m not really quite sure, I think Turn 1 I got a bit of damage and then the floor was just falling apart,” he said. “I don’t know when I got the damage.”
On an eventful day for the Briton, Hamilton was told by Mercedes to relinquish a position to Carlos Sainz – who went on to finish in third place – for their Turn 1 incident and was later slapped with a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit entry.
He though, still appreciated his team-mate’s success, adding: “George, you can see he’s doing very well, he’s won a Grand Prix already so that’s huge for everyone, a huge boost.”
Key takeaways from the Austrian Grand Prix
Austrian GP conclusions: Verstappen vs Norris, Adrian Newey theory, valuable Russell lesson
F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff revealed Hamilton’s damaged floor cost him “two and a half tenths” of a second.
Calling Sunday’s race “one of his bad days”, the Austrian told the media including PlanetF1.com. “A pretty decent start and then Turn 1, lap one, giving the position back was a harsh thing. But it was pretty clear that we would be getting a 10-second penalty by not doing it.
“Then it started to spiral. He pushed very hard on the entry, you can see how much he pushed, lost the rear and then obviously the next penalty came about.
“On top of that, we had floor damage because of the kerb ride, which I guess most people have but his was extensive. It was two and a half tenths in parts that broke off on the kerb.”
Russell is seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 111 points, 26 ahead of Hamilton.
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