Lando Norris took a hard-fought victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, resisting intense pressure from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in a race-long duel. The Briton’s third win of the season narrowed Piastri’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 15 points heading into the latter’s home race at Silverstone next weekend.
The McLaren duo were in a class of their own, delivering a commanding one-two finish, with Charles Leclerc taking a distant third for Ferrari, 17 seconds behind Norris. Lewis Hamilton followed in fourth, with George Russell completing the top five.
Verstappen Collides, Antonelli Penalised
Home favourite Max Verstappen saw his race end on the first lap after being collected by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, who locked up into Turn 3. The incident dropped Verstappen 61 points off the title lead, and Antonelli was handed a three-place grid penalty for next week’s British Grand Prix. The 18-year-old apologised to Verstappen post-race.
Strategic Bravery and Wheel-to-Wheel McLaren Duel
The McLarens started side-by-side, split only by Leclerc in qualifying. Piastri immediately passed the Ferrari on Lap 1 and began hounding Norris. A mistake from Norris at Turns 9 and 10 gave Piastri a run into Lap 11, and he briefly took the lead at Turn 3 only for Norris to snatch it back at the next corner.
Piastri nearly threw it all away with a late dive into Turn 4 on Lap 20, locking up and narrowly avoiding contact. Norris pitted at the end of that lap, while Piastri extended for three more before rejoining behind. Their final stops came with 17 laps remaining, and Piastri began closing the gap once again.
With 10 laps to go, Piastri was within two seconds, prompting Norris to plead for help over team radio: “I need some pace, please help.” A scare for Piastri came when Franco Colapinto edged him onto the grass while being lapped, earning the Alpine driver a five-second penalty. Despite slight front wing damage, Norris fended off his team-mate to seal a crucial win, two weeks after their controversial contact in Canada.
Leclerc and Hamilton Cruise, Alonso Fights Back
Leclerc and Hamilton ran lonely races to third and fourth, with minor radio tension from Hamilton as he disagreed with Ferrari’s pit strategy. Russell was equally isolated in fifth.
Further back, Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso fought over sixth and seventh all race long. Alonso was never more than a second behind the Racing Bulls driver but couldn’t find a way past. A late challenge from Gabriel Bortoleto saw the Brazilian rookie briefly overtake Alonso, only to be repassed at Turn 4 using DRS. Alonso managed to hold on thanks to the leading McLarens coming through to lap them on the final lap. Bortoleto, managed by Alonso, claimed his first F1 points and was warmly congratulated by the veteran in parc ferme.
Nico Hulkenberg (9th) and Esteban Ocon (10th) completed the points. Red Bull’s misery was compounded by Yuki Tsunoda, who finished last after a 10-second penalty for colliding with Colapinto.
What’s Next?
Formula 1 heads to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix (4–6 July). Norris will be aiming to ride the momentum and win at his favourite track for the first time on home soil.
