Who is Arun Rajkumar, engineer seen celebrating alongside Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli on Austrian GP podium?

An Asian's presence on an F1 podium is the stuff of dreams for motorsport fans in the country. However, at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, a Sri Lankan-origin engineer was seen on the podium, celebrating alongside the biggest names on the circuit.

Arun Rajkumar was present on the stage after the Austrian GP ended to celebrate the win of Mercedes, for whom he works. Mercedes driver George Russell won the race in Spielberg on Sunday, with his teammate Kimi Antonelli getting the third spot.

Rajkumar stood alongside the two on the podium to celebrate the victory. The other man on the podium was five-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who finished second on Sunday.

Who is Arun Rajkumar

Rajkumar serves as the trackside power unit engineer for Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. He represented the team during the podium ceremony after Mercedes secured victory in the Constructors' category.

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His role currently involves providing trackside engineering support and ensuring the optimal performance and reliability of the team's power unit.

He has been working with Mercedes for the last seven years after getting an engineering degree from the University of Birmingham.

What happened at Austria GP?

A relieved George Russell admitted he had endured a “tricky run of form” this year after recovering his momentum to win Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix and trim Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead.

The 28-year-old Briton, who claimed a well-judged if narrow victory ahead of Red Bull’s resurgent four-time champion Max Verstappen and the Italian teenager, said it felt “incredible” to be back on top of the podium after “a lot of hard work with my team”.

Russell came home 1.611 seconds ahead of a charging Verstappen who in turn resisted championship leader Antonelli, in the second Mercedes, to finish 0.375 seconds in front as they crossed the line.

(With AFP Inputs)