Race report
I’ll leave you with Giles Richards’ report from the Red Bull Ring, where it was very much McLaren’s day. Next stop: Silverstone. Thanks for joining me, and stay hydrated.
McLaren’s team principal Andrea Sella talks to Sky: “It was intense racing, but that’s what we’re here for.”
“The pace between Lando and Oscar was very similar. Oscar had a couple of chances, but we are very happy and proud with today’s race. I’m proud of Oscar too for saying sorry for that turn-four manoeuvre, too.”
“We trust our drivers and rely on them, we just try to say as chilled as possible, analyse the race rationally. We want to give them both the chance to win, but in the way they’ve done it today. We look forward to more races like this.”
Constructors' standings
McLaren 417pts
Ferrari 210pts
Mercedes 209pts
Red Bull 162pts
Williams 55pts
Racing Bulls 36pts
Haas 29 pts
Aston Martin 28pts
Sauber 26pts
Alpine 11pts
Drivers' standings
Oscar Piastri (Aus, McLaren) 216pts
Lando Norris (GB, McLaren) 201pts
Max Verstappen (Neth, Red Bull) 155pts
George Russell (GB, Mercedes) 146pts
Charles Leclerc (Mon, Ferrari) 119pts
Lewis Hamilton (GB, Ferrari) 91pts
Kimi Antonelli (It, Mercedes) 63pts
Alexander Albon (Thai, Wiliams) 42pts
Esteban Ocon (Fr, Haas) 23pts
Nico Hülkenberg (Ger, Sauber) 22pts
“Was Kimi Antonelli doing a Sonny Hayes move on Max!!??” asks Florence Rogers.
“It was a tough race – tricky, hot, tiring – but the best result possible, a one-two, so I’m very happy,” says Lando Norris. “We had a great battle,” he says of Piastri. “A lot of fun, well, a lot of stress for me.”
As for Piastri, he says it was “intense. It was pretty hard work. I tried my absolute best, could have maybe done better when I got ahead. A bit on the edge at times, but we’re here to race each other and try and fight for wins.”
And Leclerc in third: “I don’t think there was much else we could do, [the McLarens] are too quick. I overpushed at the start, trying to keep up, and degraded my tyres too fast.”
Updated
Austrian GP: full race result
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
Esteban Ocon (Haas)
Oliver Bearman (Haas)
Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
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Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
DNF: Albon, Verstappen, Antonelli, Sainz.
Updated
“Brilliant one-two,” says Norris. “That was great … ish. Well done everyone.” Piastri apologies for the turn four lunge that nearly caused another all-McLaren collision – perhaps that incident led him to play it safe in the closing laps.
Lando Norris wins the Austrian GP!
Norris takes the chequered flag, and there will be few race wins in his career that will feel sweeter. He soaked up relentless pressure from Oscar Piastri, who finishes second. Charles Leclerc is in third, beating Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton. It’s undeniably McLaren’s day, though, particularly with Max Verstappen crashing out on the first lap.
Lap 70 of 70: Norris almost collides with Alonso as he laps the Aston Martin, while Piastri is behind Bortoleto. It’s been an almighty battle, but the Briton is going to hold on …
Lap 69 of 70: Bortoleto gets past Alonso on the penultimate lap, but the wily veteran is able to recover and close the door. Piastri 1.5 seconds behind Norris as the last lap begins …
Lap 68 of 70: Is Piastri running out of time? The gap is still at 1.8s with two laps to go. Leclerc, in third, is 19 seconds further back.
Lap 67 of 70: Norris is advised not to overdo things on turns one and three, and is reassured that his pace is still decent. Behind them, Gabriel Bortoleto is pushing his manager, Fernando Alonso, for sixth place.
Lap 66 of 70: Norris clips the kerb on turn three, but he’s holding the time gap as they approach Alonso and Lawson – and back marker Tsunoda, who is trying to unlap himself.
Lap 65 of 70: Five more laps for Norris to hold on, under near-constant pressure from Piastri. Can he keep his teammate at bay? The gap is steady at 1.8 seconds …
Lap 64 of 70: Piastri now 1.8s behind Norris as the McLarens lap the two Saubers. Norris also has damage to his front wing, which is the last thing the leader needs right now.
Lap 62 of 70: Alonso is right behind Liam Lawson in the race for sixth, but Bortoleto can’t be ruled out – he could be within range of those two in the next five or six laps.
Lap 61 of 70: “I need some pace, please” asks Norris over the team radio. McLaren expect that upcoming traffic might slow Piastri, but as it stands, he’s within two seconds …
Lap 60 of 70: Piastri continues to close – he’s been relentless in his pursuit of Norris today – and the gap is down to 2.5s.
Lap 59 of 70: The current top 10 looks like this:
1. Norris 2. Piastri 3. Leclerc 4. Hamilton 5. Russell 6. Lawson 7. Alonso 8. Bortoleto 9. Hulkenberg 10. Ocon
Updated
Lap 58 of 70: It’s all about the McLarens in the battle to win the race, and Piastri is trimming the gap – it’s down to three seconds.
Lap 57 of 70: George Russell has got beyond Lawson and is up to fifth, 24 seconds behind Hamilton. Further back, Nico Hulkenberg overtakes Hadjar and moves up to ninth place.
Lap 56 of 70: Norris leads Piastri by 3.5 seconds, but the world championship leader has set a fastest lap. Colapinto is docked five seconds for that incident which nearly cost Piastri his place in the race altogether.
Lap 54 of 70: Yikes! Piastri returns to the track behind back-markers Tsunoda and Colapinto – and the Alpine man drifts to the right, almost forcing Piastri off the track! What a mess …
Lap 55 of 70: “This is the Germany situation,” says Lando Norris, sounding like he’s introducing an obscure indie band at Glastonbury. What he means is, both McLarens are on new tyres, and able to race each other for the line.
Updated
Lap 53 of 70: Lawson and Alonso, both running a one-stop strategy, are up to fifth and sixth place. Norris pits, McLaren getting the job done in 2.5 seconds.
Piastri is leading on the track, 16 seconds clear of Norris but about to be called in to the pits …
Updated
Lap 52 of 70: “I don’t want to stop!” complains Hamilton, who says his tyres are holding up – but Ferrari call him in, and he returns in fourth place, eight seconds behind Leclerc.
Updated
Lap 51 of 70: Bortoletto runs a 2.2s pit stop to continue a strong day for Sauber, while Norris begins to lose grip on his rear tyres.
Lap 50 of 70: Twenty laps to go and the key players are preparing for their second stops. Leclerc pits first, which could benefit Norris, who can pit and return to clean air.
Lap 48 of 70: Speaking of Hamilton, he runs well wide on turn three, although it’s unlikely to affect his place. Piastri also misjudges turn one, and is now more than four seconds behind Norris.
Lap 47 of 70: Sky show us a few corners from Leclerc’s cockpit camera, which really demonstrates the steep climbs around this circuit. The Ferrari is comfortable in third, with Hamilton seven seconds behind in fourth.
Updated
Lap 46 of 70: Russell pits while teammate Antonelli chats to Sky. “I feel super sorry for the team and for Max, because he was just a passenger,” he says of the collision that took Verstappen out. “It’s a big mistake, but we need to look forward.”
Lap 45 of 70: Piastri’s tyres are four laps fresher than his teammate’s, but the gap is holding steady at 3.5s as the McLarens make their way through traffic.
Lap 44 of 70: “Is he just quicker everywhere?” asks a nervous Norris as the McLarens pick their way past the back markers. “Our goal here is to keep Oscar out of our DRS,” the team radio tells the race leader.
Lap 43 of 70: A quick reminder that four drivers are out – Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli (who collided on the first lap), and the Williams of Alex Albon (retired) and Carlos Sainz (never started).
Lap 42 of 70: Running on fresher tyres, Piastri takes another chunk of time off Norris, the gap down to three seconds – which might force the race leader to pit sooner than hoped.
Lap 40 of 70: Piastri is beginning to cut the gap to Norris, which is now four seconds. Meanwhile, Mercedes’ woes mean that Ferrari could overtake them and go second in the constructors’ championship today.
Lap 38 of 70: Racing Bulls confirm that Lawson is running a one-stop strategy in a bid to secure some points; he has only collected four so far this season.
Lap 37 of 70: Russell, winner here last year and in Canada two weeks ago, is struggling badly for pace. The Briton is fifth, but only 3.5s ahead of Bortoletto and more than 16 seconds behind Hamilton in fourth.
Lap 36 of 70: As I type that top 10, Bearman overtakes Gasly, who warns the Alpine radio he may not be able to go for much longer. As it stands, Sauber and Haas have both their drivers in the points.
Lap 35 of 70: Lawson and Alonso return in 11th and 12th, but with far fresher tyres than the midfield men ahead – Ocon, Gasly and Ollie Bearman. Here’s the top 10 at halfway…
1. Norris 2. Piastri 3. Leclerc 4. Hamilton 5. Russell 6. Bortoleto 7. Hulkenberg 8. Ocon 9. Bearman 10. Gasly
Lap 34 of 70: Lawson and Alonso, the last two drivers yet to pit, are both heading in. Tsunoda, meanwhile, is hit with a 10-second penalty for that collision with Colapinto.
Lap 33 of 70: Approaching halfway, Norris is maintaining a 5.5 second lead over Piastri, with Leclerc a distant third, more than 13 seconds behind the Aussie.
Lap 32 of 70: Bortoletto has got beyond teammate Hulkenburg and is up to eighth, while Esteban Ocon is pushing Gasly’s stricken Alpine in a battle for minor points.
Lap 31 of 70: Tsunoda needs a new front wing and will be right at the back of the field for Red Bull, who lost Verstappen on the first lap. Liam Lawson, meanwhile, is on course to pick up a top-10 finish.
Updated
Lap 30 of 70: “I have no grip! I’m almost spinning on every corner,” pleads Pierre Gasly over the radio. Behind him, Alpine teammate Colapinto is clipped by Tsunoda at turn four and spins – but is able to continue.
Lap 29 of 70: Hadjar makes his second pit stop, while teammate Lawson is still on his first set of tyres. Lewis Hamilton is made to work to get beyond the New Zealander, moving up to fourth behind Leclerc.
Lap 27 of 70: Norris returns to P1 with a six-second lead over Piastri, who gets a warning from the team over that near-miss into turn four a few laps ago. Everything coming up Lando.
Lap 26 of 70: The two bright green Saubers of Bortoletto and Hulkenburg are battling for 10th as Hamilton pits. returning in sixth place behind Leclerc.
Lap 25 of 70: Leclerc has a brief moment in the sun before being hauled in to the pit – putting teammate Lewis Hamilton in the lead (until he pits, anyway). Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso, also yet to pit, are up to fourth and fifth.
Lap 24 of 70: Piastri pits – this is a pivotal moment, and it’s a little slow – he returns more than five seconds behind Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc is the on-track leader, but is yet to pit.
Lap 23 of 70: Piastri is asked whether he wants to keep going on these tyres for now, and answers in the affirmative. His pace hasn’t really picked up, though, which is good news for Norris.
Lap 22 of 70: Piastri has a flat spot, but will keep pushing in clean air for a while before pitting. Ferrari’s Leclerc and Hamilton – both yet to pit – are second and third.
Updated
Lap 21 of 70: It’s a slightly hesitant stop from Norris, who returns on hard tyres in fourth, just in front of Bortoletto.
Lap 20 of 70: Eeeek! Piastri makes a dart down the inside but locks up, and is close to hitting the back of Norris’ car. Careful now. It’s Norris who will pit first, on the next lap …
Lap 19 of 70: George Russell pits for Williams – now McLaren have to work out their pit strategy …
Lap 17 of 70: Norris is being advised to tighten his racing line by the team radio, while in midfield, a collision between Tsunoda and Stroll is being checked by the stewards.
Lap 16 of 70: Alex Albon retires! That ends a miserable day for Williams as Albon – who was running sixth – goes into the pits and doesn’t return. Both drivers out, 16 laps in.
Lap 15 of 70: Norris again has to fend off his teammate through turns three and four, but keeps his cool and doesn’t offer Piastri a sniff. How long can Piastri keep pushing on these tyres?
Lap 14 of 70: We’re heading towards the pit window for medium tyres, with Piastri holding the fastest lap but still half a second behind his teammate. Leclerc, in third, is five seconds behind the McLaren duo.
Lap 12 of 70: Piastri has to ease off the gas slightly in order to regain momentum. Gasly, his soft tyres shredded, heads into the pits along with Nico Hulkenburg.
Lap 11 of 70: Norris and Piastri go wheel-to-wheel! The Australian has his sights locked on Norris, and gets beyond him in the latter half of this lap – only for Norris to kick in the DRS and reclaim first place! What a battle …
Lap 10 of 70: Alex Albon gets beyond Gasly and up to sixth place – he’s Williams’ only hope after Sainz failed to start the race. Piastri is still keeping the pressure on Norris …
Lap 9 of 70: Alpine’s Pierre Gasly is the only driver on soft tyres in the top 10. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar has already switched from softs to medium tyres, and is currently the back marker.
Lap 7 of 70: McLaren confirm over the team radio that they are happy to let their drivers duke it out. Here’s the top 10 as it stands:
1. Norris 2. Piastri 3. Leclerc 4. Hamilton 5. Russell 6. Gasly 7. Albon 8. Bortoleto 9. Lawson 10. Alonso
Lap 6 of 70: Piastri is very much on Norris’ tail, wanting to make his move before his tyres begin to cook. Pressure on the race leader, while the Ferrari duo are in third and fourth.
Updated
Lap 5 of 70: Russell claims Hamilton under-braked to keep him at bay over the team radio. Norris sets a fastest lap, ekeing out a 0.8s lead over Piastri, just as Verstappen trudges back into the Red Bull paddock.
Lap 4 of 70: The race has been shortened by a lap after the delayed start; as the green flag waves, Franco Colapinto runs wide and George Russell has a dig at Lewis Hamilton in fourth – but the Ferrari man closes the door.
Antonelli accepts responsibility for the collision, saying that his brakes locked up. Verstappen offers a four-letter assessment over the team radio. Anyway, things are looking up for McLaren, and the safety car is about to come in …
The safety car is out: One normal day of F1. All I ask. Will never happen. The safety car is out while the Mercedes and Red Bull cars are towed away – it’s Verstappen’s first retirement of the season, and ends a 31-race scoring streak. And at Red Bull’s home circuit, too.
Updated
Max Verstappen crashes out
As Piastri gets past Leclerc and battles Norris for first place, Kimi Antonelli collides with Verstappen – and both drivers are out of the race!
Here we go
A second formation lap is completed, thankfully without further incident. Lights out, Norris leads into the first corner …
Big efforts from the crews to keep everyone cool. George Russell urges his team to get the mechanics some water, while Fernando Alonso estimates his seat temperature to be around “200 degrees”. Lewis Hamilton’s fan malfunctions, blowing out warm air rather rhan dry ice. It’s all happening!
The other 19 drivers are still out on the starting line, preparing for a second formation lap in five minutes’ time. All of the key players – McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes – are running a two-stop strategy, with track temperatures pushing close to 50 degrees.
Sainz is told his race is over. It can’t be a huge surprise given the circumstances. It seems he had to run most of that lap with his brakes engaged. He is fine, if more than a little frustrated.
Sainz’ Williams is on fire: Sainz pulls into the pit lane, complaining that his brakes aren’t working correctly. He overshoots the paddock, and when he does come to a halt, his brakes catch fire! The Williams crew have to extinguish the flames and tow his car back down the pit lane.
Updated
Start delayed to 2.15pm (BST)
The drivers set off on their formation lap, but Carlos Sainz’ Williams, on the very back row, doesn’t move. He does eventually move but will go into the pit lane –and the race start is pushed back by 15 minutes.
Updated
A brief chat with Max Verstappen: “We just try to do our own race, I honestly don’t know how fast or slow we are. The track temperature? Probably not ideal.”
And Oscar Piastri, the world championship leader: “Today could be good for us, it’s hotter than the rest of the weekend. Will it hurt our rivals? I hope so.”
Updated
Time for the Austrian national anthem, sung by the Vienna boys’ and girls’ choirs. They do a fine job, but focus is stolen by a troupe of dancers leaping about in full F1 regalia. Why are they making them do this? It’s roasting out there.
In last year’s race, George Russell took the chequered flag after a dramatic collision between Norris and Verstappen that turned up the heat on their developing rivalry.
Updated
Some pre-race thoughts from Lando Norris:
“We’ve got a great car, so it’s just a good start and I’ll try and control things from there really. I expect a good battle from [Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri], I expect them on the first couple of laps to be punchy but that’s racing.
“It’s not like the car feels a different level but I think it’s an improvement, and to show that we’ve taken a step forward is what we want. The main thing is delivering what it should and that’s good.”
The grid
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Alex Albon (Williams)
Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
Oliver Bearman (Haas)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Esteban Ocon (Haas)
Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber)
Preamble
Brad Pitt may be wowing cinema audiences in the new F1 film, but if the current season is ever adapted for the big screen then Lando Norris would be the main protagonist. Tipped as the challenger most likely to dethrone Max Verstappen, the British driver struggled to deliver in the opening acts as teammate Oscar Piastri emerged as a title contender.
The McLarens’ collision in Canada marked a new low for Norris, but this weekend might see the narrative arc begin to turn. Norris is on pole here after producing his best qualifying drive of the season, while an angry Verstappen starts down in seventh. Piastri is in third place on the grid, with Ferrari making an overdue cameo – Charles Leclerc starts second, Lewis Hamilton fourth.
With Silverstone and the season’s halfway mark coming up next week, this could be a pivotal chapter for Norris and the F1 title race. It’s lights out at 2pm (BST) at a sweltering Red Bull Ring, where we can expect more absolute cinema.
