Race winner in the Austrian Grand Prix: Norris, emerges victorious in a tense duel with teammate Piastri
In the 2025 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix held on June 29 at the Red Bull Ring, Lando Norris won the race from pole position, leading for the majority after converting his pole into victory. He finished ahead of his McLaren teammate and championship leader, Oscar Piastri, who came second, and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in third[1].
The race start was delayed due to issues including an aborted start related to Carlos Sainz Jr.'s car. During the start, Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) locked up and collided with Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing), forcing both to retire from the race. This incident led to Red Bull failing to score any points for the first time since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix[1]. Verstappen's teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, finished sixteenth and last among classified finishers after receiving a time penalty[1].
The battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri was significant as they fought at the front, with Norris taking advantage of a one-stop strategy to defeat Piastri, who was on two stops. This intra-team rivalry shaped much of the race's outcome and points distribution[1].
Additional notable points include Sauber achieving their first double points finish since the 2023 Qatar GP, with Gabriel Bortoleto scoring his first championship points and Nico Hulkenberg finishing ninth[1].
The gaps between the top drivers were widening, with Piastri now 15 seconds ahead of Leclerc and another few seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. However, Piastri's lead over Norris reduced from 6.5s to just over 3 seconds after the second half of the race[1].
During the race, Piastri dropped four seconds off his team-mate after an incident with Franco Colapinto. He was also given tips on minimising time loss in Turns 1 and 3 to stabilise the gap[1]. Piastri was told by his pitwall that his move into Turn 4 was "too marginal" and requested not to try something similar again[1].
George Russell finished sixth in the race, while Esteban Ocon earned the final point of the race for Haas by finishing in P10[1].
In summary:
| Aspect | Detail | |-------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Winner | Lando Norris (McLaren) | | Runner-up | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | | Third place | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | | Max Verstappen incident | Crashed with Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), both retired | | Red Bull performance | No points scored, first time since 2022 Bahrain GP | | Sauber achievement | First double points finish since 2023 Qatar GP (Bortoleto and Hulkenberg scoring points) |
This race highlighted Norris and Piastri's competitive battle in 2025 and marked a rare off-day for Red Bull and Verstappen due to the accident[1].
- Despite the delay at the race start and the incident involving Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, sports fans were treated to a close battle between Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, in the 2025 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
- The race also saw a significant sporting achievement by Sauber, as they managed a double points finish for the first time since the 2023 Qatar GP, with Gabriel Bortoleto scoring his first championship points and Nico Hulkenberg finishing in ninth place.
