Lando Norris came into the Austrian GP after a difficult weekend in Canada, where he collided with teammate Oscar Piastri and failed to finish the race. The Brit was looking for a strong response, and got it by putting his McLaren on pole position after a dominant lap.
Piastri’s lap was hampered by late yellow flags after a Pierre Gasly spin, which left the Aussie starting third behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. The championship leader had to dispose of the Ferrari quickly and did so in the opening corner. That left him with a clear run to fight Norris, a battle which lasted the whole race.
Lando Norris holds off Oscar Piastri at the Austrian GP
Lando Norris had lost 12 points after retiring from the Canadian GP. He needed to chip away at the advantage and swing the momentum back in his favour. After a perfect start, the field was closed again due to a safety car after Kimi Antonelli took out Max Verstappen in turn 3. This left Norris and Piastri to battle it out for seventeen laps.
Piastri made multiple attempts to pass Norris to gain the upper hand in strategy. He passed Norris on lap 7, but Lando was able to repass on the following DRS zone. Piastri continued to put the pressure on Norris, but was running out of time before the first round of stops. He locked up on lap 21, nearly taking Norris out, as the Brit peeled into the pits.
The rest of the race saw Piastri trying to close the gap back to Norris after staying out for a few more laps. However, the Aussie was unable to get back into the DRS zone, and Norris just about held on towards the end.
🚨| Oscar Piastri on his battle with Lando Norris!
“Intense, I hope it was good watching because it was pretty hard work from the car. So yeah, I tried my absolute best and you know probably could have done a better job when I just got ahead momentarily, but yeah, it was a good…
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) June 29, 2025
Piastri spoke after the race about the battle with his teammate. He said: “I hope it was good watching because it was pretty hard work from the car. So yeah, I tried my absolute best and you know probably could have done a better job when I just got ahead momentarily, but yeah, it was a good battle, a bit on the edge at times, and probably pushed the limits a bit far.”
The McLarens were dominant in Austria, and with Verstappen not finishing, the championship battle will be between their two drivers. Norris closed the gap to 15 points to put pressure on Piastri heading into Silverstone. If this race is anything to go by, we could be in for a treat of an inter-team battle.
Ferrari off McLaren’s pace in Austria
Ferrari started the Austrian GP in second and fourth. However, after Charles Leclerc lost a position to Piastri off the start, Ferrari never looked like catching up. However, Leclerc was able to finish in third and lead Lewis Hamilton home in fourth.
After the race, Leclerc believed that McLaren was just too quick. He said: “I rate our weekend as a team, I think, really well. But unfortunately, the pace today was just not enough. I think they [McLaren] were too fast for us to stay in second. So third was the best we could do.”
🚨| Charles Leclerc on losing his second place to Piastri
“I mean, I rate our weekend as a team, I think, really well. But unfortunately, the pace today was just not enough. In the first corner, I was thinking about going,
But Lando closed the door, and then I left the door open…— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) June 29, 2025
Ferrari was comfortably the fastest second team over the weekend. Mercedes was struggling in the higher temperatures and couldn’t challenge the Scuderia. Heading into Silverstone, Ferrari will want to try and close the gap to McLaren, but a lot of work will be needed to catch the Papaya team.
Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto shine at the Austrian GP
Liam Lawson has had a difficult season in 2025. Red Bull dropped the Kiwi after only two races with the team and has struggled to find form in the Racing Bull. However, this was his weekend to shine. Lawson qualified sixth ahead of Max Verstappen and pulled off a perfect one-stop strategy to finish there, his best result in F1.
Gabriel Bortoleto was the only driver yet to score points this season, still with a drive. The pressure was mounting on the young Brazilian. However, he put his Sauber into Q3 for the first time in F1. The pace didn’t stop there, as the Sauber driver looked quick throughout the race, finishing in P7 and just behind sixth-placed Fernando Alonso.
A career-best P6 finish for @LiamLawson30 👏👏#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/7UetGqfV6Y
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2025
It was a bad day for Williams and Alpine. Carlos Sainz was unable to start the race with his brakes on fire after he caused an aborted start. Alex Albon also retired early on with an issue. Apline’s drivers both finished, but outside of the top 10. This allowed Haas, Sauber and Aston Martin to score points against their midfield rivals and tighten up the pack.
