Five winners, five losers: Austrian Grand Prix
- Peter Johnson
- Jun 30
- 6 min read
Written by Peter Johnson, Edited by Meghana Sree
There were lots of winners and losers from a chaotic weekend in Austria, but who came out the best – and who fared the worst?
Winner - Lando Norris
Following on from his embarrassing race-ending mistake in Canada, which also saw his deficit in the World Championship extend to 22 points, Lando Norris was under serious pressure to deliver a solid performance in Austria.
In fact, the Briton went above and beyond to put in a flawless weekend.
After watching Practice 1 from the sidelines to give Alex Dunne his first taste of a Grand Prix weekend, Norris was straight on it in Practice 2 and was the fastest man in every single session that he competed in. His pole lap was, in his own words, “close to perfection”, beating second-fastest man Charles Leclerc by over half a second around one of the shortest laps of the season.
On race day, despite searing pressure from Oscar Piastri in the first stint, Norris displayed a level of racecraft he has arguably never demonstrated before to keep his teammate and title rival at bay.
Piastri’s early-season charge has faded slightly in recent races, winning just one of the last five Grand Prix. With more performances like this, not least at Silverstone this weekend, Norris could soon find himself back in control of the title fight.
Winner - Sauber
It was impossible to single out the performance of either Gabriel Bortoleto or Nico Hülkenberg this weekend, much to the delight of Sauber, who are now on a serious run of form. In fact, they are on such a hot streak that they have even out-scored Red Bull over the last three races (20-19).
Bortoleto recorded his best-ever Qualifying with a P8 on Saturday, which he followed up with a very mature drive on Sunday to collect his first points in Formula One. In doing so, he became the first Brazilian to score points since Felipe Massa in 2017.
Coming into this season, it was widely expected that the rookie, driving for the team that finished bottom in the Constructors’ Championship in 2024, was going to have a tough old season. Factor in the turbulent half-season that several of his fellow rookies have had, and Bortoleto could easily have wilted under the pressure.
However, he has seen a steady improvement in results, both in Qualifying and on race day, and this will surely be far from the last time that he scores points in a genuinely competitive Sauber.
Hülkenberg, meanwhile, clawed his way from the back of the grid to P9, recording a third consecutive points finish and Sauber’s first double points finish since Qatar 2023 (then in the Alfa Romeo outfit).
With Aston Martin, Haas and Racing Bulls all scoring, Sauber did not make any serious inroads in the Constructors’ Championship this weekend, but they are very much in the midfield battle these days.
Winner - Ferrari
Ferrari capitalised on Red Bull and Mercedes’ struggles in Austria to emerge as the undoubted second-quickest team, for this weekend at least.
The Scuderia brought upgrades to Spielberg centred around the car’s floor, which has been the cause of recurring performance-related issues for Lewis Hamilton in particular this season.
The one source of disappointment is arguably that Hamilton was not given the opportunity to hunt down Leclerc for the final podium spot in the closing laps, but overall it was a job well done for the team.
While clearly not a patch on McLaren for race pace, Ferrari were good for their 3-4 finish and have re-established their second-place position in the Constructors’ Championship.
If the team can sit second in the standings at almost the halfway stage of the campaign, despite an incredibly underwhelming season to date, just imagine what they could achieve if or when they unlock some consistent performance.
Winner - Fernando Alonso
Since his retirement in Monaco, when he almost certainly would have scored a chunk of points, Fernando Alonso is yet to finish outside of the top ten.
It is the first time in over a year that the Spaniard has strung together three consecutive top-ten finishes and after a tough start to the campaign he has once again become a reliable source of points.
As Sauber start to hit form, and with Racing Bulls and Haas both capable of delivering impressive weekends, Alonso is now effectively carrying Aston Martin’s hopes in the Constructors’ Championship, with Lance Stroll not having scored in nine Grands Prix.
His battle with protégé Bortoleto in the closing stages also appeared to satisfy him, and a retirement-delaying new contract announcement is surely only a matter of time now.
Winner - Liam Lawson
The Austrian Grand Prix was arguably a coming-of-age performance from Liam Lawson, who has not had a moment to relax or perhaps even to enjoy his 2025 season to date.
His sixth-placed finish in Spielberg, the best of his career, also marked the first time he has beaten teammate Isack Hadjar in a Grand Prix.
The young Kiwi may have had a tough weekend in Canada last time out which culminated in a retirement, but his other results over the last four races have been a P6, P8 and P11. His confidence and form are once again slowly building, which is an achievement in itself after his rocky year so far.
Loser - Red Bull
Max Verstappen’s first lap retirement in Austria was of course a disappointment for him and his many supporters at the Red Bull Ring, and was also likely terminal to his already-slim championship hopes.
However, the real loser from the weekend was his team, as the F1 world was given a glimpse of what a post-Verstappen Red Bull might look like.
The team’s one remaining challenger, Yuki Tsunoda, ended up finishing two laps down on winner Norris. The Japanese driver spent part of the race fighting with the Alpine of Franco Colapinto, receiving a ten-second penalty for causing a collision which did not help his cause.
On a weekend when Mercedes publicly confirmed their interest in signing Verstappen for 2026, Red Bull now have some serious decisions to make about the design of their car, because without the Dutchman at the wheel their package is among the slowest on the grid.
Loser - Andrea Kimi Antonelli
A rookie error from Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix rounded off what was already a very tricky weekend for him and his team.
Mercedes’ struggles in hotter temperatures are well-documented and were once again exemplified by George Russell’s underwhelming P5, but Antonelli had the worst of it over the weekend.
A lowly P9 in Qualifying was quickly rendered irrelevant as the Italian retired on Lap 1, but he showed maturity to own up to his mistake straight away and received a similarly classy response from Verstappen.
In the bigger picture, Antonelli’s podium in Canada is now his only points finish in the last five races, and with Mercedes a solitary point behind Ferrari in the Constructors’ standings, the Silver Arrows need him to rediscover his early-season consistency.
Loser - Williams
After a flying start to the season and comfortably the best of the rest behind the top four teams, Williams’ season is in serious danger of collapse. The Grove-based team now have just one point from the previous three races courtesy of Carlos Sainz in Canada, while Alex Albon has not even seen the chequered flag since Monaco four races ago.
Sainz failed to start the race in Austria due to a problem with his brakes on the formation lap, while a power unit issue forced Albon to abandon proceedings on Lap 15.
Williams will now be watching nervously over their shoulders with Racing Bulls now just 19 points in arrears in the Constructors’ Championship.
Loser - Franco Colapinto
If Colapinto was indeed given a five-race contract following the demotion of Jack Doohan, it is difficult to argue that he has done enough over that period to keep his seat.
The mercurial talent that he displayed at times for Williams has not manifested itself for Alpine, and despite recent improvements in Qualifying he has never come close to scoring points on a Sunday.
In fact, arguably his most noteworthy action this season came in Austria, when he almost wiped out championship leader Piastri as he attempted to lap the Argentine following his pitstop.
Given the ruthless demotion of Doohan earlier this season, it may be an anxious few days for Colapinto who has not excelled at his new team so far.
Loser - Alpine
It was a poor weekend for Colapinto personally, but on a day when Sauber, Aston Martin, Haas and Racing Bulls all scored points, the Austrian Grand Prix was one to forget for the Alpine team.
With only three points finishes all season, all courtesy of Pierre Gasly (the Bahrain and Spanish Grand Prix, as well as the Miami Sprint), the team is becoming cut adrift at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship and may well be relying on a heroic São Paulo 2024-type performance to salvage their campaign.
Flavio Briatore certainly has his work cut out.
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