Lando Norris wins the Austrian Grand Prix
Credit: Sam Bagnall - Sutton Images via Getty Images
In the picturesque scenes of Austria, Formula 1 Race 11 took place at the Red Bull Ring — a short, tight, and technical circuit with long straights that offer overtaking opportunities. Lando Norris dominated qualifying to secure pole position, Charles Leclerc started second, and championship leader Oscar Piastri lined up third on the grid.
As the formation lap began, Carlos Sainz — starting 19th — was unable to get his car moving. By the time Norris reached the final corner, Sainz was still stationary on the grid, prompting the race start to be aborted. Though he eventually got going under his own power, Sainz's rear brakes were on fire as he came into the pit lane. Seemingly suffering from locked rear brakes, Sainz was out of the Grand Prix before it had even started.
The second formation lap began, and with one lap removed from the race distance due to the aborted start, it was lights out. Norris got a strong start, with Leclerc diving down the inside, but Norris was able to cover him off. As Leclerc was blocked, Piastri swept around the outside and moved into second. Down into Turn 3, Kimi Antonelli misjudged his braking point, locked all four wheels, and smashed into the back of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Both cars were heavily damaged, ending Verstappen’s 31-race points-scoring streak.
With the safety car deployed, the restart was crucial. George Russell saw an opportunity to pass Lewis Hamilton for fourth at Turn 4, but Hamilton — familiar with his former teammate’s tricks — defended the inside line and held position.
On Lap 6, the Papaya cars were battling hard for the top spot. Piastri, running second, dove down the inside of Norris, but Norris held on. Piastri’s engineer jumped on the radio, confirming it was his call — they were free to race. On Lap 11, Norris got a poor exit out of Turn 1, and Piastri led into the long straight toward Turn 3. Both McLarens went side by side in a thrilling duel for the lead and pit stop priority. Piastri held position initially, but with DRS and extra speed, Norris pulled alongside again and reclaimed first place heading into Turn 4.
During the first round of pit stops (two-stop strategy), Gabriel Bortoleto — after his strongest qualifying of the season — pitted from seventh for fresh tyres. Meanwhile, Alex Albon, who had climbed five positions early in the race, retired due to overheating — his third consecutive DNF, contributing to a double retirement for Williams.
Sensing that first place was slipping away, Piastri made a bold move at Turn 4, locking all four wheels as he dived down the inside of Norris — a move that quickly caught the attention of the McLaren pit wall. Norris held onto the lead and pitted on Lap 21, though it was a slower-than-usual stop. Piastri stayed out for a few extra laps and boxed on Lap 25, but McLaren had another sluggish pit stop, leaving him 5.9 seconds behind Norris.
Bortoleto was engaged in a fierce battle with Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll. On Lap 28, he overtook both drivers in quick succession to climb into ninth, with teammate Nico Hülkenberg right behind in tenth. Red Bull’s race went from bad to worse on Lap 31 when Yuki Tsunoda attempted a move on Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, making contact and spinning Colapinto around. Tsunoda later received a 10-second penalty for the incident.
By Lap 33 of 70, Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso were the last drivers still on their original tyres. Running fifth and sixth respectively, they soon pitted. Pierre Gasly, in the other Alpine, was unhappy with his tyre strategy and voiced his frustration over team radio.
With 30 laps to go, Norris began catching backmarkers, triggering a flurry of blue flags (used to signal slower cars to let faster ones pass). While Norris was navigating traffic, Piastri began to close the gap, reducing it to just 3 seconds. But when Piastri rejoined, he became tangled in the battle between Tsunoda and Colapinto. Exiting Turn 3, with blue flags waving, Colapinto forced Piastri off the track and onto the grass — a dangerous move with major championship implications. Colapinto was later given a 5-second penalty.
In a quiet race for Mercedes, George Russell overtook Lawson with 14 laps to go to take fifth. Esteban Ocon in the Haas grabbed the final point by passing Isack Hadjar on Lap 58.
In the closing stages, Fernando Alonso in seventh and Bortoleto in eighth had a thrilling battle, with Alonso managing the rookie and showcasing his veteran racecraft.
In the end, it was Lando Norris who claimed victory at the Austrian Grand Prix — his third win of the season. It marked McLaren’s first triumph at the Red Bull Ring since 2001. Piastri finished a close second, while Charles Leclerc completed the podium in third.
Piastri retains the championship lead, now just 15 points ahead of Norris. Next up is the British Grand Prix — and it’s set to be one to watch!
Race Results:
1st: Lando Norris (McLaren)
2nd: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3rd: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4th: Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5th: George Russell (Mercedes)
6th: Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
7th: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8th: Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber)
9th: Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber)
10th: Esteban Ocon (Haas)
