Austria Grand Prix 2025: Race Review

The heat was on – both literally and metaphorically – at an action-packed Austrian Grand Prix, which saw four drivers fall from grace, while the championship leaders battled head-to-head on track for a second consecutive race.

With the gap for the drivers’ world championship closing, can Lando Norris convert his good fortunes from Free Practice and Qualifying into long-term success, just in time for his home race at Silverstone next weekend?

Key Moments

The tone was set for the Austrian Grand Prix, even before the race had begun, with Carlos Sainz glued to the start line in first gear, as the formation lap got underway in front of his very eyes.

Although Sainz did eventually get his Williams started, driving a lonely formation lap, the former Ferrari man was eventually told it was “game over” by his race engineer, after the rear brakes of the Williams set on fire in true Hollywood fashion.

Following an aborted start, the thrill of the race – or should I say chase – was just around the corner.

Despite Lando Norris having made a positive start, teammate Oscar Piastri was quickly on the rear of his wheels, charging past the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and into P2 position.

This presented a clean and fair battle between the two McLaren drivers, which lasted for the best part of 20 laps.

After an initially unsuccessful lunge for first place, Piastri weaponised DRS to his advantage during the first stint of the race, remaining ever-present in the rear mirrors of Norris, suffocating his hopes of an easy get-away.

During Lap 11, championship leader Oscar Piastri sneaked past his teammate to lead the Grand Prix, before Norris swiftly gained the place back, thanks to a display of maturity in his defensive output.

Closing in once again, Piastri mistakenly surrendered his opportunity, with a late lock-up that curated a tense racing moment, which almost saw the two McLarens collide for a second consecutive race.

After both Norris and Piastri were commanded to make their respective pitstops, the battle was bought to a sudden close, dashing the Australian’s hopes of pursuing 25 points in the short-term.

This was thanks to a slow pitstop, which saw Piastri emerge from the pitlane 6-seconds behind his British teammate, and 2 seconds slower than originally estimated by the team.

During the closing stint of the race, Piastri consistently gained in pace, almost drawing within DRS range of his teammate.

Unfortunately, an inferno of backmarkers – including Franco Colapinto who blindly blocked the championship leader from passing – denied him one last attempt at victory.

While Norris did an excellent job at defending from his teammate to secure only his third victory of the 2025 season, his performance remained far from dominant.

The British driver was simply unable to maintain a decisive lead, without the number 81 in his eyeline, for the most-part of the Austrian Grand Prix, which cannot be said for the reverse in the recent-past.

Despite this fact, Norris asserted himself well within the race, generating a well-deserved win for both championships. Piastri finished in P2, while the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc cruised into P3 position.

With a confidence boost in-tow, can the British driver continue this newly-found rhythm at his home Grand Prix next weekend?

Other Notable Events

While the spotlight is inevitably on the championship battle between both McLaren drivers, an action-packed Sunday at the Red Bull Ring produced a plethora of additional valuable discussion points.

For many drivers, the Austrian Grand Prix would bring nothing but an escape from the boiling cockpit, as advocated on team radio by two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, before the eventual race start.

At the start of Lap 1, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli misjudged the third corner, taking out innocent bystander Max Verstappen, almost certainly eradicating his championship hopes for the 2025 season in the process.

Though disappointed, Verstappen took the incident in his stride, sympathetically advocating that “Kimi is a very big talent, so he learns from that“.

Verstappen and Antonelli joined a total of four drivers, who were unable to finish – or in the case of Carlos Sainz, start – the Austrian Grand Prix. The fourth DNF of which being handed to the Williams of Alex Albon, after being forced to pit and retire his car from the race during Lap 16.

Williams ultimately left the Austrian Grand Prix with a total of zero points, in what was described by Alex Albon as “a very frustrating and disappointing day“.

This comes as a shock, after their fortunes had seemingly turned a corner during the 2025 season; a promising prospect for all to see, following on from financial woes that plagued the team during, and beyond, the pandemic era.

On a more positive note, Kick Sauber achieved what many deemed impossible for the constructors, with a double points haul, following on from a lackluster start to the season.

Gabriel Bortoleto mirrored his junior success at the Red Bull Ring, gaining his first points in Formula One in P8 position, after an exciting closing battle with manager Fernando Alonso. Nico Hulkenberg followed closely behind his rookie teammate, miraculously moving his Sauber from the back of the grid to P9 position, finishing with a courageous 2-points.

I am excited to see what the team can achieve under 2026 regulations, and the new ownership of Audi, with many constructors beginning to look ahead to next season already.

Another notable finish came from the Racing Bull of Liam Lawson, earning his highest ever finish in Formula One in P6 position, at the constructors’ home racing circuit.

While Lawson’s success should be celebrated in its own right, this only provides further evidence that Red Bull itself are the villain in their own story.

With Yuki Tsunoda finishing last in P16 position – when considering four DNFs – and both Lawson and Tsunoda having been successful in their respective stints at Racing Bull this season, it is evident that something is fundamentally wrong at Red Bull.

Racing Bulls – as the junior team – should simply not be achieving more points than Red Bull on a consistent basis.

Whatever happens next, it is evident that Red Bull need some serious reconstructive surgery, in addition to the various changes required under 2026 regulations, in order get back to their championship-winning ways.

Austrian Grand Prix 2025: Final Thoughts

With this in mind, could Verstappen be swayed to activate his exit clause and make a move for the 2026 season? If yes, where would the Dutchman possibly go, given that Red Bull have so clearly designed their team around the four-time world champion, following on from his Formula One debut in 2017?

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season conspires, when considering the comparative success of the Racing Bulls in relation to Red Bull, and what this means for the constructors moving forward in their Formula One narrative.

In the McLaren garage, The Austrian Grand Prix added fuel to the fire in the championship battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with a surprising spout in confidence for Norris allowing his long-standing fans to dare to dream once more.

While the long-term success of Norris’ Austria Grand Prix race win remains to be seen, it goes without saying that winning a Grand Prix, after a few woeful weeks of racing and self-deprecation, has to provide a confidence boost of some kind.

The extent of which, however, remains up for debate.

As far as the championship battle is concerned, while Norris certainly has the potential to be a world champion in future, potential does not translate to the capabilities showcased in the present-day.

Piastri is consistently skilled in both attack and defense, as well as mental agility, as highlighted over recent race weeks. The Australian simply does not crumble under pressure, and gives each and every race a calm and collected focus, to secure the best position possible, continually obvious at the Austrian Grand Prix.

This consistency is key to his overall success, and ultimately gives him the edge over his teammate.

Will Norris continue to translate this newly-found confidence into more race wins, or will Piastri siege victory at his British teammate’s home race? With the championship gap closing, and just 15 points now separating them, only time will tell.

The Formula One season continues at Silverstone for the prestigious British Grand Prix, commencing with Qualifying on July 5th.