Austrian GP 2026 Review | Russell Finally Wins & Lindblad Says "Nah" – Monkey Seat S7E139

<p>After another completely unplanned three-month sabbatical, Season 7 of <em>The Monkey Seat</em> returns. Funnily enough, George Russell wins and we&#39;re back recording. We&#39;re not saying there&#39;s a conspiracy... but we&#39;ve never podcasted after a Sergio Perez win.</p><p>This week, the boys review the <strong>2026 Austrian Grand Prix</strong>, where <strong>George Russell finally gets Mercedes back on the top step</strong>. But was he actually the quickest Silver Arrow? With <strong>Kimi Antonelli looking rapid all weekend</strong>, the future at Mercedes might already be knocking on the garage door.</p><p>Elsewhere, <strong>Ferrari once again mastered qualifying... before apparently forgetting the race was on</strong>, while <strong>Red Bull looked properly competitive again</strong>, giving the front of the field a very different look from recent rounds.</p><p>The discussion also turns to the TV coverage, with an abundance of <strong>cinematic drone shots</strong> making the race look more like an Oscar-winning nature documentary than a Formula 1 broadcast. And speaking of ignoring directions, <strong>Arvid Lindblad decides team orders are more of a suggestion than a rule</strong>, giving the lads plenty to chew over.</p><p>As always, expect <strong>Driver of the Day debates, Dick of the Day nominations, questionable opinions, unnecessary tangents, and two hosts who are far more confident than they are qualified.</strong></p><p>Looking for serious Formula 1 analysis? Head over to <strong>Grid Talk</strong>. But if you&#39;d rather spend an hour listening to two mates argue about racing, broadcasting, and whether team orders are actually optional, you&#39;ve found your podium.</p><p>Catch Tom and Karl in their slightly more professional guise on the <strong>Grid Talk Podcast</strong> @gridtalkuk on all socials.</p><p>Check out <strong>f1chronicle.com</strong> for motorsport articles written by people who know what they&#39;re talking about, and visit <strong>linktr.ee/gridtalkuk</strong> for everything Grid Talk.</p><p>If you enjoy the chaos, we&#39;d really appreciate a quick <strong>5-star rating on Spotify</strong>. It genuinely helps more people discover the podcast and keeps this gloriously inconsistent operation rolling into Season 7.</p><p>Find <strong>The Monkey Seat</strong> on Spotify, Apple Music, Pocket Casts, YouTube, Anchor, Castbox, Radio Public, TuneIn and Breaker — or simply ignore your engineer&#39;s instructions and we&#39;