Formula One Gradebook: Austrian Grand Prix
- Arran Lunt
- Jul 2
- 8 min read
McLaren wrapped up another one-two finish as Formula One visited the Red Bull Ring for round 11 to solidify their grip on the Constructors championship by 207 points back to Ferrari and it was a weekend to forget for Red Bull at their home Grand Prix.
DIVEBOMB Formula One reporter, Arran Lunt, graded all 20 drivers' performances during the Austrian weekend.
McLaren
No.4 - Lando Norris - A+
It was the perfect response from Norris, producing a fantastic weekend to bounce back from his DNF in Canada last time out. There have been doubts as to whether he can go the distance in a championship battle and having collided with team-mate Oscar Piastri in Montréal the spotlight was fixed firmly on the Briton. However, any lingering doubt was quickly dismissed as Norris topped two of three practice sessions, claimed pole position by half a second and won the race, fending off intense pressure from Piastri, to close the championship standings down to just 15 points.
No.81 - Oscar Piastri - A-
The roles were reversed in Austria as it was the other side of the papaya garage that showed cracks under pressure this time. Piastri played second to Norris all weekend and uncharacteristically, for the usually cool and calm Australian, showed visible signs of frustration - his outburst at the end of Q3 for not getting one final lap and his at times desperate driving to pass Norris - resulting in a warning from the McLaren pit wall.
Piastri can take solace in that he still holds the championship lead by 15 points when it could have been much worse had he collided with Norris on lap 20.
Ferrari
No.16 - Charles Leclerc - A
Ferrari’s talisman secured his fourth podium of the season in a much improved weekend for the Scuderia. A floor upgrade brought new life to the SF-25 and Leclerc was able to utilise the package to qualify P2 - ahead of the McLaren of Pastri - producing good race pace to finish P3 and some 40 seconds ahead of constructors rivals Mercedes on Sunday. Ferrari’s upturn in pace is encouraging as Leclerc seeks his first British Grand Prix podium since 2021 this weekend.
No.44 - Lewis Hamilton - B+
Hamilton’s debut season in red hasn’t quite gone to plan, with the seven-time world champion finding himself unable to extract the same pace from the Ferrari as team-mate Leclerc. Prior to the Austrian weekend, Hamilton told the media not to get too excited with regards to the floor upgrade, however, come race day the Briton looked competitive taking P4 at the chequered flag - matching his best finish of 2025 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix - helping Ferrari into second in the constructors championship holding a slender lead of just one point over his former employers Mercedes.
Mercedes
No.63 - George Russell - B+
George Russell is experiencing a rollercoaster season as speculation on his future continues to dominate headlines despite impressive performances - five podium finishes in 2025 including a win in Canada has helped bolster his claim to a new contract. However, just two weeks out from a brilliant winning weekend, Mercedes found themselves considerably off the pace and after a first lap collision for team-mate Kimi Antonelli, Russell was the sole Mercedes left running and finished the race as he started in P5 - over 30 seconds behind the upgraded Ferrari of Hamilton.
No.12 - Kimi Antonelli - D
Antonelli’s Austrian Grand Prix will be one he wishes to erase from memory as quickly as possible. The teenage Italian was off the pace through all free practice sessions and managed a best qualifying time of 1:05.276 - putting his Mercedes in P9 behind the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto - before a collision with Max Verstappen on lap one of the race proved terminal. Antonelli has now failed to finish a race in three of the last five - with the latest landing him a three place grid penalty for Silverstone and two penalty points on his license.
Red Bull
No.1 - Max Verstappen - B
Reigning world champion Verstappen was cautiously optimistic of a podium heading into Red Bull’s home Grand Prix as an upgrade package was set to be deployed in the fight against McLaren. Optimism quickly faded as the Dutchman struggled to utilise the latest update - complaining of a lack of grip through the majority of the circuit over the course of the weekend - qualifying P7 after an aborted lap. A solid race start ended prematurely by Antonelli now sees Verstappen trail championship leader Piastri by 61 points. Never say never with Verstappen but a fifth title in a row now looks Mission Impossible as we approach the halfway stage of the season.
No.1 - Yuki Tsunoda - D
There is a sense that had Liam Lawson not been removed from the second Red Bull seat already this season, Tsunoda’s tenure would have long since come to an end. Since joining the senior team from Racing Bulls Tsunoda has only managed to finish inside the points three times with a best finish of ninth coming in his second race with the Red Bull outfit. Austria proved once again to be a struggle as Tsunoda qualified 18th and finished 16th - last of the classified finishers - after incurring a ten-second time penalty for an ill executed move on Franco Colapinto. The last time Tsunoda appeared in Q3 was round six in Miami.
Williams
Williams will be looking to avoid a repeat of the horror show that unfolded at the Austrian Grand Prix when Formula One visits Silverstone this weekend. A disastrous turn of form has seen four DNF’s in the previous three races - with both drivers involved - and Williams fifth place lead in the constructors championship now down to 19 points after Racing Bulls reduced the deficit by scoring eight in Austria.
No.23 - Alex Albon - C
Alex Albon qualified 12th but with less than a quarter of the race complete was forced to retire with an unknown issue. Post race, Albon suggested the cause was of a similar nature to that which caused his retirement in Canada - a power unit issue.
No.55 - Carlos Sainz - D
Carlos Sainz had a disastrous qualifying as he was eliminated from Q1 for the third time in a row, managing a best starting position of 19th. Sainz was unable to gain a foothold in qualifying as his FW47 suffered floor damage, compounded further come race day as his brakes caught fire resulting in a DNS.
Racing Bulls
No.30 - Liam Lawson - A
Another driver in the Red Bull family who finds himself under increased pressure to perform, Liam Lawson delivered a very strong weekend at a circuit he had not driven previously. With Red Bull underperforming at their home Grand Prix, Lawson came up trumps as the lead “Bull” - out qualifying Verstappen by three-thousandths of a second to start P6 on the grid for Sunday. Finishing P6 in the race on a one-stop strategy, Lawson scored some much needed points to close the gap on WIlliams whilst outperforming team-mate Hadjar for the first time since arriving back at Racing Bulls.
No.6 - Isack Hadjar - B-
Hadjar has put in consistently solid performances since his arrival at Racing Bulls prompting many to suggest he should replace Tsunoda in the senior squad. Round 11 at the Red Bull Ring wasn’t up to the usual standards we have come to expect from the rookie as he qualified P13 - his worst since Saudi Arabia - finishing the race in P12 having lost out to both Haas drivers and sustaining floor damage 15 laps from the end.
Haas
No.31 - Esteban Ocon - A
Ocon found himself beaten by team-mate Oliver Bearman in qualifying for the third round in a row as the Frenchman was only able to land P17 for Sunday's race. However, an inspired drive saw the Haas driver rise through the field to recover brilliantly and secure his fifth top ten finish of the season as he claimed the final point for the American outfit - continuing the team's great points finishing run in Austria.
No.87 - Oliver Bearman - B+
Bearman said prior to the weekend that he was hoping for a good result in Austria as historically it was a circuit he had scored well at. Qualifying two places ahead of team-mate Ocon was a good start to the weekend but a drop in pace during the middle stint of the race left Bearman with too much to do in the final phase as he came home P11 - missing out on a chance to capitalise on a Williams double DNF and grab a points finish.
Aston Martin
No.14 - Fernando Alonso - A
Fernando Alonso continued his streak of out-qualifying team-mate Lance Stroll in every round the Canadian has participated in this season with a P11 start for Sunday's race. One of only two drivers to opt for a one-stop strategy, the veteran Spaniard capitalised on early retirements to finish P7 for a second round in a row setting up a potentially great weekend at Silverstone where Aston Martin are expecting to bring an upgrade package.
No.18 - Lance Stroll - C-
An overall disappointing weekend for Stroll as he was unable to show the same levels of pace that Alonso could in the Aston Martin. Qualifying P16 - a second Q1 exit in a row for the Canadian after a poor home race in round 10 - and a final classification of P14 sums up Stroll’s current run of form.
Sauber
No.27 - Nico Hulkenberg - A+
Sauber are setting a trend of producing fantastic race results whenever they deliver an upgrade. Hulkenberg - who claimed fifth place in Barcelona and eighth in Canada after previous updates to the C45 car - looked to have a momentous task on his hands if he was to be in the picture for points come lap 70 after qualifying in last place. Once again the German delivered, carving his way up to another impressive finish of P9 and collecting yet more championship points to help Sauber get within touching distance of both Aston Martin and Haas - just three points between them now - with Racing Bulls within their sights just 10 points ahead in sixth.
No.5 - Gabriel Bortoleto - A+
Gabriel Bortoleto had the most competitive weekend of his rookie season as he fought his way into a first Q3 appearance. Posting a Q3 time good enough for P8, the rookie found himself ahead of Kimi Antonelli and two-tenths shy of Verstappen. The Brazilian followed up a fantastic qualifying with a scintillating drive - battling Alonso down to the final lap - to finish P8 and collect his first ever points in F1 along with driver of the day. Sauber have gatecrashed the midfield party of late and should be ones to watch with so much of the season left to go.
Alpine
No.10 - Pierre Gasly - C
Alpine find themselves firmly rooted to the bottom of the constructors championship after the Austrian Grand Prix whilst looking the worst team on the grid against the recent good form of Aston Martin, Haas and a charging Sauber - the gap now 15 points to Hulkenberg and Bortoleto’s team. Gasly has been Alpines only points outlet this season scoring all 11 of their points and had early potential to add to that tally qualifying tenth - surviving a dramatic double spin in the closing stages of Q3. Unfortunately, the race wasn’t as forgiving for the Frenchman as he slipped backwards to a final finish of P13.
No.43 - Franco Colapinto - C-
Austria was Franco Colapinto’s fifth race of a five race contract after replacing Jack Doohan earlier in the season. In the period prior to round 11, the Argentine had failed to score any points and Austria proved no different as a Q2 exit had Colapinto starting Sunday in P14. An eventful race in which the Alpine driver almost collided with championship chaser Piastri - forcing the McLaren driver onto the grass - and coming together with Tsunoda resulting in a P15 finish, is a good summary of how Colapinto’s five race stint has gone.
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