Lando Norris secured a vital victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, triumphing over his teammate and championship contender, Oscar Piastri, following an exciting battle on the track.
Norris successfully defended against Piastri for twenty laps during the initial phase of the race and later withstood pressure to achieve his third victory of the current season.
This win came two weeks after their collision at the Canadian Grand Prix and reduced the Australian driver`s championship lead from 22 points to 15.
After crossing the finish line, Norris commented over the team radio, “Well done everyone, beautiful one-two.” In his post-race interview, he added, “We definitely had a great battle. It was really enjoyable, though quite stressful for me! But a good fight. Congratulations to Oscar. I hope everyone watching found it entertaining. It was challenging, particularly when he had DRS enabled.”
Reigning champion Max Verstappen`s already slender championship aspirations suffered a potentially critical setback when Kimi Antonelli forced him off track on the first lap. Meanwhile, McLaren demonstrated clear superiority throughout the weekend.
From the outset, Norris and Piastri quickly pulled away from the Ferrari drivers and maintained a close formation during the early stages of the race.
Piastri briefly gained the lead, making a bold move down the inside at Turn 3. However, Norris swiftly retook the inside line and surged past at the following corner.
Championship leader Piastri then came close to colliding with the back of Norris on lap 20 during an attempt to overtake. Subsequent pit stops ultimately provided Norris with enough space to control the race and secure the victory.
After the race, Piastri apologized for the maneuver at Turn 4, stating, “Sorry for the move… My bad.”
With Verstappen retiring and Montreal winner George Russell finishing a distant fifth, this race seemed to solidify the 2025 season as a championship battle primarily between two drivers.
Charles Leclerc secured a podium spot for Ferrari, finishing third, although he was 17 seconds adrift of second place. Lewis Hamilton came in fourth.
Liam Lawson, who had been replaced as Verstappen`s teammate after only two races this season, achieved an excellent sixth place for Racing Bulls, executing a perfect one-stop strategy.
Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson`s replacement, finished in last place after another poor performance in the troublesome car.
Fernando Alonso secured eighth position for Aston Martin, employing a similar strategy to Lawson, and defended his position against his protégé, Gabriel Bortoleto, in an engaging duel towards the end of the race.
Bortoleto finished in eighth place, earning his first points in his rookie season as the reigning Formula 2 champion. His Sauber teammate, Nico Hülkenberg, maintained the team`s recent positive form by finishing ninth. This result was the first time since 2018 that both Sauber cars finished within the top ten.
Esteban Ocon of Haas claimed the final points position, finishing tenth.
Williams experienced a difficult race day. Carlos Sainz was unable to start the race after his brakes caught fire during the formation lap, causing a 15-minute delay to the start.
Sainz`s teammate, Alex Albon, later retired from the race in the pit lane.
Dominic Ashworth