First Lap Chaos: Verstappen Out, Antonelli Penalised
Lando Norris was under pressure from the very first corner and didn’t get a moment’s rest for 70 laps. But in the end, it was a perfectly executed race from the McLaren driver, who held off a charging Oscar Piastri to win the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix and take his third victory of the season.
Pole was no guarantee of safety. Piastri got the better launch and dived for the inside at Turn 1, but Norris covered it and kept control into the hill. Then came the first shock of the race. Kimi Antonelli, starting just outside the top five, misjudged his braking into Turn 3 and launched into the side of Max Verstappen. Both cars were out on the spot. The Safety Car was deployed, and for the first time since Bahrain 2022, Red Bull were staring at a race with no points.
After the race, the Stewards handed Antonelli a three-place grid penalty for the next round and two penalty points on his licence, citing clear driver error for the collision. The rookie later made his way to Red Bull’s hospitality suite to apologise directly to Verstappen. It was a respectful move, even if the damage was already done.
Piastri Pushes, Norris Holds
At the front, the McLaren pair immediately turned the heat back up. Piastri was quicker in the first stint and attacked again on Lap 11, muscling past at Turn 3. But Norris didn’t flinch. He retook the lead into Turn 4, defending cleanly as they plunged downhill. Then came a near-miss on Lap 20 when Piastri locked up and almost ran into the back of his team mate under braking. The move was described over team radio as “marginal”, and McLaren made it clear they didn’t want to see it again.
That same lap, Norris pitted for hard tyres. A sluggish left-front stop dropped him time. Piastri stayed out until Lap 24 and suffered the same issue. The gap after stops: 5.5 seconds.
Pit Stops, Penalties and Pacing
What followed was a cat-and-mouse chase. Piastri closed in through traffic and dropped the hammer after the second round of stops on Lap 54. Norris had stopped one lap earlier, this time with a much cleaner 2.5s change. But his advantage was short-lived.
As Piastri exited the pits, he found himself caught behind Franco Colapinto and Yuki Tsunoda, who were locked in their own duel. Colapinto, seemingly unaware he was being lapped, forced the McLaren wide at Turn 4. A five-second penalty came later. The damage to Piastri’s race, though, was already done.
From there, Norris kept the pace steady. He made sure Piastri never got back within DRS range and crossed the line with 2.6 seconds in hand. It wasn’t flashy. It was focused. And it delivered McLaren a deserved 1-2 finish.
Ferrari’s Quiet Haul, Red Bull’s Pointless Pain
Red Bull’s afternoon didn’t improve. Tsunoda finished 16th after tangling with Colapinto himself on Lap 31. A lunge at Turn 4 spun the Alpine around and left Tsunoda with a broken front wing and a 10-second penalty. With Verstappen out and Tsunoda in the wilderness, Red Bull’s 77-race points streak came to an abrupt end. Only Ferrari have managed more, with 81 between 2010 and 2014.
Ferrari’s race was quieter but effective. Charles Leclerc ran third after being jumped by Piastri off the line and was told to lift and coast early on. From there, he had no answer to the McLarens, finishing 19.8 seconds adrift. Lewis Hamilton took fourth after an early off at Turn 48 and a disagreement with the pit wall over a second stop on Lap 51. It effectively ended his shot at challenging Leclerc.
The Scuderia were also without team principal Fred Vasseur, who returned home for personal reasons ahead of the race. Ferrari confirmed the news via a statement, with deputy team principal Jérôme d’Ambrosio taking over trackside duties.
George Russell had some early fun dicing with Hamilton but faded into a lonely fifth. Liam Lawson kept his nose clean and nailed a one-stop strategy to bring home sixth. Another strong result for the Racing Bulls on the main team would have loved to achieve. It seems former Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp who now works for Red Bull chose the right team to watch the race from as he was welcomed into the Racing Bulls garage before the race started.
Breakthroughs and Battles in the Midfield
Behind them, Fernando Alonso led home Gabriel Bortoleto by just half a second after a late scrap. The two-time champion managed the gap with typical finesse, then celebrated with the rookie in parc fermé. Bortoleto’s P8 was his first points finish in Formula 1, earning him Driver of the Day honours and capping a standout weekend for the young Brazilian.
Bortoleto’s composed drive under pressure was matched by team mate Nico Hulkenberg’s steady recovery from last place on the grid to ninth. Both drivers were on different strategies but coordinated well, swapping places mid-race to maximise the team’s result.
Esteban Ocon rounded out the points for Haas with a steady medium–hard–hard strategy. Ollie Bearman missed out in eleventh despite starting on softs, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly ran a strange soft–hard–medium sequence and ended up 13th after a day full of grip complaints.
Williams Woes and Missed Opportunities
It was a weekend to forget for Williams. Carlos Sainz never made the start . His brakes overheated and caught fire on the formation lap whilst at the end of the pit lane after he had caused an aborted start with his car stationary on the grid, forcing a DNS before the lights even went out. Alex Albon looked poised for a strong points run after slicing through Pierre Gasly’s DRS train early on, but his car shut down on Lap 17 with a suspected electronics fault. The team says it is still investigating.
Franco Colapinto crossed the line in 15th, lapped and penalised for forcing Piastri off track during a blue flag situation. Isack Hadjar’s early stop during the Lap 1 Safety Car committed him to a two-stop race and left him stranded in 12th. Lance Stroll also struggled to make any headway, coming home 14th after a quiet afternoon.
What It All Means for the Championship
So, while the big story was a McLaren 1–2, the bigger implications could be felt elsewhere. Verstappen leaves Austria with zero points. The Constructors’ gap narrows again. And for the first time in nearly three years, Red Bull walk away from a race weekend with nothing.