Norris takes victory ahead of Piastri after thrilling head-to-head battle
- Meghana Sree
- Jun 29
- 7 min read
Written by Meghana Sree
A race-long battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the Austrian Grand Prix saw Norris claim victory, while key rival Max Verstappen was taken out of running on Lap 1. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc completed the podium to take Ferrari back to second in the standings.
Resuming the European leg of the season, the Austrian Grand Prix was all set for another thrilling round of the 2025 championship, racing amidst the scenic vistas of Spielberg at the Red Bull Ring – a venue we're locked in to enjoy till 2041 with its latest contract extension.
With Lando Norris on pole and his teammate Oscar Piastri further back, this was Norris’ shot at making a statement after a miscalculated contact with Piastri in Canada last time out.
Consequential in the context of the championship, Norris made a strong case for himself with a much-needed win ahead of Piastri, who missed out on the top step after an unlucky Saturday and being caught out by traffic during the race.
Race Report
A sweltering afternoon set the stage for the 70-lap Grand Prix, but even before the race could get underway, an aborted start courtesy of a hydraulics failure for Carlos Sainz stalled the action. As Sainz rolled back to the pits, his car flaming, the rest of the grid lined up for a second reconnaissance lap.
When the lights finally went out, Piastri pounced on the attack immediately and charged past Leclerc for second, who found himself blocked by Norris and Piastri into Turn 1.
Meanwhile, the action was far from over as back in ninth, Kimi Antonelli suffered a massive lock-up and ploughed right into Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver in seventh after an unlucky Qualifying. Antonelli narrowly missed the surrounding cars but his and Verstappen’s races had swiftly ended, just after sharing a podium last time out.
After a quick Safety Car that bunched up the pack, it was back to green flag racing on Lap 3, as Norris quickly fired his medium tyres up again. However, he still couldn’t shake off his teammate now closing in on him, and soon the two McLaren drivers were swapping fastest laps and found themselves locked in a thrilling battle for the lead.
As the McLarens pulled away from Leclerc in third place, Piastri piled on the pressure and kept Norris on his toes, going wheel-to-wheel with his key championship rival into Lap 11. A bold move into Turn 2 saw Piastri inch past Norris, but the Briton came roaring back at the next corner to regain the lead.
While it was a McLaren vs McLaren showdown out front, the first round of stops were triggered by Oliver Bearman on Lap 12, who was then followed by Pierre Gasly on the next lap, after the Alpine driver lost out to Gabriel Bortoleto on the battle for seventh.
Meanwhile, Williams’ disastrous weekend went further south as Alex Albon retired into the pits, making it a double DNF for the team and Albon’s third DNF in a row.
Out on track, Norris’ lead was still under threat from Piastri who was consistently sticking within a second of his teammate. The McLarens were running flat out, contrasted by Leclerc, now four seconds behind, who was ordered by his team to lift and coast.
While it was a battle for the race win for McLaren, the Ferraris found themselves with the possibility of a battle for the podium, with Lewis Hamilton not far from his teammate. Enjoying a much more positive weekend this time, Hamilton was able to keep his former teammate George Russell at bay while attempting to close down on Leclerc.
Russell then dived into the pits on Lap 19, and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto was promoted to fifth, continuing his stellar performance across the Austrian weekend. As the pit stops shook up the order, McLaren were faced with the compromising situation of which driver to pit first.
Piastri, still too close for Norris’ comfort, opted to extend his stint despite a flat spot, while Norris was called in for fresh tyres first on Lap 21. Four laps later, Piastri bolted on the hard compounds too but crucially, had an advantage over Norris with his tyre offset.
Another teammate battle was also gaining traction, this one between the two Saubers. Nico Hülkenberg had managed to climb up the field into 11th from 19th, just ahead of Bortoleto after the Brazilian rookie had stopped for mediums. Bortoleto, chasing his first points of the season, appealed for team orders, but soon used his fresher rubber to make the move on his more experienced teammate on Lap 28.
As the laps ticked down, a dramatic moment between Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto almost rewrote the race, as the sole remaining Red Bull clipped Colapinto into Turn 4. The Alpine car was sent spinning but Colapinto was able to rejoin the track, while Tsunoda had to peel into the pits for damage repair and subsequently collected a ten-second penalty for the move.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso on the one-stop strategy took his first pit stop of the race on Lap 33, giving Alonso the chance to stay just within reach of the points in 12th, behind Liam Lawson.
By Lap 40, the leaders were gradually catching up to the backmarkers, who began to make life complicated for the McLaren drivers. Norris, still doing everything possible to avoid slipping into Piastri’s clutches, was caught out by Colapinto ahead. The Alpine driver had unfortunately decided to slide into the pitlane just as Norris was about to slip past him, giving Piastri the opportunity to gain a whole second on Norris.
Frustratingly for the race leaders, this wouldn’t be the first time their races were risked by backmarkers. A couple laps later, Colapinto and Tsunoda were embroiled in a scrap for 15th just as Piastri pulled up to the scene, expecting swift blue flags. However, in what was certainly a vexing moment for Piastri, Colapinto drove him off the track and into the grass, collecting a five-second penalty for himself.
With a quarter of the race to go, Norris and Piastri cycled through their final stops, followed by the Ferrari pair. Again, the Papaya cars were hindered by the likes of the Haases and Saubers, and later Alonso and Lawson, and could hardly race in clean air.
Affecting Piastri more than Norris, the Briton having the benefit of a buffer between himself and Piastri, the race came to a nail-biting end with Norris pipping his teammate by just under three seconds.
Leclerc completed the podium after a rather lonely race for the Monegasque driver, while Hamilton and Russell rounded out the top five.
Lawson in sixth crossed the line as the lead Racing Bulls driver, beating out his teammate Isack Hadjar, as well as Tsunoda in the sister team whose race was riddled with inconsistency.
A thrilling back-and-forth for seventh place on the last lap between Alonso and his mentee Bortoleto saw the veteran come out on top, however Bortoleto wouldn’t be too disappointed as he scored his first ever F1 points finish at the Red Bull Ring. The rookie finished ahead of Hülkenberg, who stacks up a double points finish for Sauber in one of their best weekends this year.
Esteban Ocon rounded out the points, while Bearman and Hadjar narrowly missed out on the top ten despite Bearman’s multiple overtakes on track and Hadjar’s one-stop strategy.
Stroll in 14th split the Alpines of Gasly and Colapinto, with the Canadian driver running strong on Friday but faltering on Saturday and Sunday. Tsunoda was the last of the classified drivers in 16th, closing a nightmare home weekend for Red Bull.
Championship Standings
With a tight but assured victory, Norris has cut into Piastri’s championship lead by seven points and has brought the gap down to 15 points. The thrilling battle between the pair demonstrated that McLaren are not afraid to let their drivers race, but do still want to play it safe, evidenced by Piastri’s engineer advising him to dial down on the risk midway through the race.
Verstappen remains in third but is now only nine points ahead of Russell after his first-lap misfortune. Should he drop down to fourth, expect rumours to fire up again of the Dutchman’s future at Red Bull.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Ferrari and Mercedes continue their tussle over second place. The Italian outfit, in the absence of Team Principal Fred Vasseur this weekend due to personal reasons, has jumped back into second. Leclerc’s podium and Hamilton’s fourth place gave them the edge, while Antonelli’s DNF dented the Mercedes points tally for this weekend.
Key Quotes
The McLaren drivers going head-to-head yet again, but crucially keeping it clean to bring home another double podium, was an utterly dominant display of performance at the Red Bull Ring.
Norris gave his thoughts, stating: "It was a tough race, pushing the whole way through, tricky and tiring. A 1-2 is exactly what we wanted, and we did it so I'm happy. We had a great battle, it was a lot of fun - a lot of stress but a lot of fun. A nice battle, so well done to Oscar [Piastri]."
Piastri, disappointed with losing out on a victory, shared: "I hope it was good watching, as it was pretty hard work inside the car. I tried my absolute best, probably could have done a better job when I just got ahead. A good battle, probably pushed the limits a little far. Close, but not quite enough."
Meanwhile Leclerc, who would've been ruing losing second place, was still satisfied with his result given McLaren's dominance: "I rate our weekend as a team really well. Unfortunately, the pace today was not enough.
"I think [McLaren] were too fast for us to stay in second, third was the best we could do. I don't regret anything we did today, we did the maximum."
Up Next
It's back to racing again next week, as F1 will travel to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. With the championship battle tighter than ever as we gradually approach the season's halfway point, Silverstone is sure to put on a show. Catch all the action from 4th to 6th July.
Austrian Grand Prix Results
Lando Norris, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren +2.695
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +19.820
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari +29.020
George Russell, Mercedes +62.396
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls +67.754
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +1L
Gabriel Bortoleto, Kick Sauber +1L
Nico Hülkenberg, Kick Sauber +1L
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team +1L
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team +1L
Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls +1L
Pierre Gasly, Alpine +1L
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1L
Franco Colapinto, Alpine +1L
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing +2L
DNF Alexander Albon, Williams
DNF Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
DNF Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
DNS Carlos Sainz, Williams
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