Norris Claims Thrilling Austrian GP Victory After Intense Duel with McLaren Teammate Piastri

Lando Norris secured a significant victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, triumphing over his McLaren teammate and championship contender, Oscar Piastri, in a captivating on-track battle.

Norris successfully defended his lead against Piastri during a 20-lap showdown in the race's initial stages. He then withstood intense late-race pressure to clinch his third win of the season.

This victory comes two weeks after his collision with Piastri at the Canadian Grand Prix, reducing the Australian's championship lead from 22 to 15 points.

"Well done everyone, beautiful one-two," Norris exclaimed over the radio immediately after crossing the finish line. In his post-race interview, he added, "We had a great battle, that's for sure. It was a lot of fun. For me, a lot of stress! But a nice battle."

"Well done to Oscar. Hopefully it was a nice one for everyone to watch. But it was tough, especially when he was in the DRS."

Reigning champion Max Verstappen's already dwindling title hopes suffered a potentially decisive blow after Kimi Antonelli forced him off the track on Lap 1. However, McLaren demonstrated superior performance throughout the entire weekend.

Norris and Piastri quickly distanced themselves from the Ferrari drivers at the start, maintaining a close formation for the initial portion of the race.

Piastri briefly overtook Norris, executing a dive down the inside at Turn 3. However, Norris swiftly reclaimed the inside line and surged past at the subsequent corner.

Championship leader Piastri nearly collided with the rear of Norris's car on lap 20 while attempting to gain position. However, pit stops provided Norris with the necessary advantage to secure the victory.

"Sorry for the move in Turn 4," Piastri admitted after the race. "My bad."

The race results suggest that the 2025 championship will be a battle between two drivers. Verstappen's retirement and George Russell's distant fifth-place finish further solidify this notion.

Charles Leclerc secured a podium finish for Ferrari, albeit 17 seconds behind the second-place finisher, while Hamilton finished fourth.

Liam Lawson, who was replaced as Verstappen's teammate after only two races this season, delivered an impressive performance for Racing Bulls, securing sixth position with a well-executed one-stop strategy.

Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson's replacement, finished last, continuing his struggles in the underperforming Red Bull car.

Fernando Alonso finished eighth for Aston Martin, employing a similar strategy to Lawson. He held off his protégé, Gabriel Bortoleto, in an exciting duel during the closing laps.

Bortoleto ultimately finished eighth, earning his first points of his rookie season in Formula 2. His Sauber teammate, Nico Hülkenberg, continued the team's recent strong performance by finishing ninth. This marked the first time Sauber had both cars finish in the top 10 since 2018.

Esteban Ocon of Haas secured the final points-paying position, finishing 10th.

Williams endured a difficult race. Carlos Sainz was unable to start after his brakes caught fire at the beginning of the formation lap, delaying the race start by 15 minutes.

Sainz's teammate, Alex Albon, retired in the pit lane later in the race.