Formula 1’s 2025 Austrian Grand Prix Review
Norris wins in Austria as McLaren deliver perfect 1–2
The hills were alive with drama at the Red Bull Ring as Lando Norris led McLaren to a statement 1–2 finish at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix. Norris converted pole into victory, fending off a relentless Oscar Piastri in a thrilling intra-team duel that stretched from lights out to the final lap. Behind the papaya parade, Ferrari brought both cars home in the top four, while George Russell salvaged points for Mercedes after a disastrous opening-lap crash took out Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.
It was a Grand Prix of battles, breakthroughs, and brutal exits—none more significant than Verstappen’s shock DNF on home turf, ending Red Bull’s 77-race scoring streak. And with McLaren taking maximum points, the fight for both championships just got a whole lot hotter.
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2025 Austrian Grand Prix – Qualifying Review
Norris destroys the field for Austrian pole as yellow flags disrupt final runs
Lando Norris delivered a dominant performance in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, storming to pole position for the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix with a margin that stunned the paddock. The McLaren driver clocked a sensational 1:03.971 in Q3—over half a second clear of Charles Leclerc in P2—to secure his second pole of the season and the largest pole margin of the year so far.
Norris was fastest in every session—Q1, Q2, and Q3—setting the tone early and never looking back. “When I plan to do something and it goes right, it normally goes very, very well,” Norris said after the session, visibly pleased with his near-perfect execution.
Leclerc held on for second in a strong showing for Ferrari, while Oscar Piastri was forced to settle for third after a yellow flag caused by Pierre Gasly’s late spin at Turn 10 ruined several final flying laps. The McLaren driver had been poised for a final push but had to abort.
Lewis Hamilton continued Ferrari’s good form with P4, followed closely by Mercedes’ George Russell in fifth. Racing Bulls rookie Liam Lawson was one of the day’s standout performers, securing a brilliant sixth ahead of Max Verstappen, who was also caught out by the yellow flag.
Gabriel Bortoleto impressed once again with P8—his first Q3 appearance—while Kimi Antonelli and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.
🔵 Q1 – Norris quickest as Sainz stumbles out early
The session began under sunny skies with all drivers on the softest C5 compound. Norris immediately laid down a benchmark 1:04.672, nearly half a second faster than anyone else.
Oscar Piastri had a moment through the gravel at Turn 4 but recovered to finish Q1 in second, with Liam Lawson showing strong pace to go third.
The drama came at the bottom end, as Williams’ Carlos Sainz was shockingly knocked out in 19th place. Over the radio, Sainz reported potential damage and described the car as “undriveable.” Joining him in the drop zone were Lance Stroll (16th), Esteban Ocon (17th), Yuki Tsunoda (18th), and Nico Hulkenberg (20th).
Knocked out: Stroll, Ocon, Tsunoda, Sainz, Hulkenberg
🔵 Q2 – Norris stays on top as Bortoleto breaks through
Q2 saw Norris continue his dominant form with a 1:04.410. He was trailed closely by Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, while Max Verstappen voiced frustrations about grip, telling his engineer: “The car is completely undriveable.”
A red flag was thrown midway through the session due to a small trackside fire, creating added tension during the final flying laps.
Gabriel Bortoleto made headlines by jumping to P3 in the closing stages before eventually settling in P8, making it to Q3 for the first time in his career. Gasly, Russell, and Lawson all snuck through as well, while Alonso and Albon narrowly missed out.
Knocked out: Alonso, Albon, Hadjar, Colapinto, Bearman
🔵 Q3 – Norris untouchable as yellow flag scrambles final order
Lando Norris takes pole with a blistering lap at the Red Bull Ring 🐂#F1 #AustrianGP | Full qualifying report ⤵️https://t.co/yXUTZlG4u0
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 28, 2025
In the top-10 shootout, Norris wasted no time by laying down a 1:04.268 on his first run, before dropping the hammer with a 1:03.971 on his final attempt. Leclerc and Piastri were separated by just over half a tenth before Gasly’s spin at Turn 10 brought out a brief yellow flag, scuppering any chance of late improvements.
Max Verstappen was one of the most impacted drivers, abandoning his final effort and ending up in seventh behind rookie sensation Liam Lawson. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli took ninth, while Gasly—despite causing the drama—rounded out the top 10.
🟢 Top 10 – Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:04.672 | 1:04.410 | 1:03.971 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:05.197 | 1:04.734 | 1:04.492 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:04.966 | 1:04.556 | 1:04.554 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:05.115 | 1:04.896 | 1:04.582 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:05.189 | 1:04.860 | 1:04.763 |
| 6 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:05.017 | 1:05.041 | 1:04.926 |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:05.106 | 1:04.836 | 1:04.929 |
| 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:05.123 | 1:04.846 | 1:05.132 |
| 9 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:05.178 | 1:05.052 | 1:05.276 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:05.054 | 1:04.846 | 1:05.649 |
🏁 2025 Austrian Grand Prix – Race Summary
Norris leads McLaren 1–2 in Austria as Verstappen, Antonelli clash on Lap 1
Lando Norris returned to the top step of the podium with a commanding victory at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, holding off teammate Oscar Piastri in a tense intra-team battle that delivered McLaren a crucial 1–2 finish at the Red Bull Ring. The result was doubly significant as Max Verstappen—racing on home soil—was eliminated on the opening lap following a collision with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, dramatically shifting the momentum in the championship fight.
Starting from pole, Norris held his nerve into Turn 1, but Piastri quickly surged past Charles Leclerc for second and began shadowing his McLaren teammate relentlessly. The pair exchanged positions briefly before Norris reclaimed the lead with a well-timed switchback at Turn 4. From there, the two traded purple sectors and navigated traffic, strategy, and overheating tyres in a thrilling head-to-head that never spilled into chaos.
Behind them, Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton delivered a quiet but efficient double points finish for Ferrari, rounding out the top four, while George Russell brought home a solid P5 in the lone surviving Mercedes after Antonelli’s Lap 1 mistake.
⚠️ First Lap Mayhem: Antonelli Takes Out Verstappen
Turn 3 strikes again 🎳#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/JNey5vTA6F
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2025
The race was nearly derailed before it began as Carlos Sainz’s car stalled on the formation lap, ultimately forcing him to retire before the lights went out. But the real drama came moments after the restart, when Antonelli lost control under braking into Turn 3 and slammed into Verstappen. The contact ended both of their races on the spot, prompting a Safety Car and a flurry of shocked radio messages—including a furious Verstappen: “I got hit like crazy.”
The stewards issued Antonelli a three-place grid penalty for the next race, while Red Bull’s 77-race scoring streak came to a crashing halt—on home turf, no less.
🟣 McLaren Duel: DRS Games and Wheel-to-Wheel Pressure
After the Safety Car peeled in on Lap 3, the McLarens resumed their duel. Piastri stayed within DRS range for much of the first stint, even briefly overtaking Norris before a lock-up forced him wide and allowed Norris to reclaim P1. From that point on, it was a battle of tyre management and pit timing. Piastri extended his first stint longer than Norris, hoping to strike back on fresher tyres, but traffic and a few minor mistakes blunted his charge.
Still, the Australian made things tense until the final laps, reducing the gap to 2.6 seconds before backmarkers—including Franco Colapinto and Yuki Tsunoda—complicated the pursuit. Colapinto earned a five-second penalty for nearly forcing Piastri off-track while being lapped, while Tsunoda was penalized 10 seconds for an earlier clash that spun the same Alpine driver.
Norris crossed the line after 70 laps to claim his third win of the season, trimming Piastri’s championship lead to just 15 points.
🟡 Midfield Movers: Lawson Shines, Bortoleto Scores First Points
The Bortoleto bravery ⚔️
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 30, 2025
Gabi hunts and battles his manager, Fernando 💪#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/8DxVsKyQ0N
The midfield delivered plenty of action, with Liam Lawson converting his strong P6 grid slot into a career-best P6 finish. Fernando Alonso had to work for P7, narrowly beating Gabriel Bortoleto after a late-race scrap. But Bortoleto still walked away with his first Formula 1 points, capping off a breakout weekend for the Brazilian rookie—who also earned Driver of the Day honors from fans.
Nico Hulkenberg stormed from the back to finish ninth, securing Sauber’s first double points finish of the season alongside Bortoleto. Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10 with a quietly strong drive for Haas.
🔴 Disasters and Penalties
- 🟥 DNFs: Verstappen, Antonelli, Albon
- ❌ DNS: Sainz
- 🟨 Penalties:
- Tsunoda: +10s (collision with Colapinto)
- Colapinto: +5s (unsafe rejoin while being lapped)
Pierre Gasly dropped out of the points with severe balance issues, Lance Stroll failed to convert strong practice pace into anything meaningful, and Isack Hadjar finished a muted P12 after an early strategy gamble failed to pay off.
🟢 2025 Austrian Grand Prix – Final Classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 70 | 1:23:47.693 | 25 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 70 | +2.695s | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 70 | +19.820s | 15 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 70 | +29.020s | 12 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 70 | +62.396s | 10 |
| 6 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 70 | +67.754s | 8 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 69 | +1 lap | 6 |
| 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault | 69 | +1 lap (+5s) | 0 |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 68 | +2 laps (+10s) | 0 |
| NC | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 15 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| DNS | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 0 | DNS | 0 |
🏁 Conclusion
McLaren leave Austria with everything to smile about—Lando Norris back on the top step, Oscar Piastri maintaining his championship lead, and both cars running flawlessly in one of the tightest and hottest battles of the season. But their joy contrasts sharply with Red Bull’s nightmare: Verstappen’s first-lap retirement not only ended his podium streak but also dropped crucial points in the title race.
Ferrari’s consistency kept them in the conversation, with Leclerc and Hamilton completing a solid weekend, while rising stars like Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto proved they belong at the sharp end of Formula 1.
With Silverstone just days away, the momentum has clearly shifted. McLaren are flying high. Verstappen will be seeking redemption. And F1 fans? They’re in for another blockbuster.
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📚 Sources
➤ Qualifying:
- Formula1.com – Norris storms to impressive pole position in Austria
- Formula1.com – Full Austrian GP Qualifying Results
➤ Race:
