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Lando Norris performs during the FIA Formula1 World Championship at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria on June 28, 2025 // Philip Platzer / Red Bull Ring // SI202506280922 // Usage for editorial use only //
Philip Platzer / Red Bull Ring

Lando Norris Withstands Race-Long Challenge from Oscar Piastri to Win the Austrian Grand Prix

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Lando Norris won a lights-to-flag victory at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday (June 29), despite being under pressure from his teammate Oscar Piastri for a significant portion of the race. Charles Leclerc finished a distant third, followed by the second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton, almost one minute behind the McLarens.

“It was a tough race. We were pushing the whole way through,” Norris explained in the post-race interview. “It was a perfect result for the team. A one-two, so I’m happy. We had a great battle, that’s for sure. It was a lot of stress, but a lot of fun.”

George Russell finished in fifth place, followed by Liam Lawson in sixth, who managed to hold off Fernando Alonso for the position. Behind them came Gabriel Bortoleto, who celebrated his first points finish in eighth. Bertoleto was pushing Alonso hard in the closing stages but was unable to take an additional position.

Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon closed out the top-10 positions.

How it Unfolded

Pole-sitter Lando Norris was joined by Charles Leclerc on the front row. Championship leader Oscar Piastri lurked behind in third with the second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton in fourth.

The Williams of Carlos Sainz failed to launch on the formation lap, causing the race start to be delayed by 10 minutes. Sainz finally got going, but regulations dictated that he had to start from pit lane. Both rear brakes on the Williams caught fire as Sainz pulled to a stop, ending his race before it started.

As the race began, Piastri jumped Leclerc through turn 1, moving into second place. Kimi Antonelli locked up his Mercedes as they approached the sharp right-hand turn 3, sliding into the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and putting both cars out of the race. It was the first time Verstappen had retired in 31 races, since the Grand Prix of Australia in March 2024.

The resultant safety car ended just two laps later, and all cars had a clean restart. Leclerc quickly fell more than one second behind the McLaren of Piastri, the Australian remaining within DRS range of Norris’ sister McLaren.

Piastri continued to challenge Norris for six laps before taking first position in turn 3 on lap 11. Norris quickly reclaimed the position into turn 4.

Meanwhile, Williams’ day went from bad to worse on lap 17, with the second car of Alex Albon also retiring. Out front, the two McLarens continued to battle, with the team allowing the drivers to fight. Piastri had another lunge on Norris during lap 20, but was unsuccessful, and Norris took to the pits for a new set of hard tires.

Four laps after Norris’ stop, Piastri also came into the pits for fresh hard tires, allowing the Ferrari of Leclerc to take the lead, with Hamilton slotting in second. The two Ferraris hadn’t yet pitted, meaning that Norris and Piastri were still effectively first and second. After the stops, the two McLarens regained control of the race but the gap between them was widened to over six seconds.

Fernando Alonso pitted from fifth place on lap 32, almost the halfway mark of the race, raising the prospect that Aston Martin was attempting a one-stop strategy.

Out front, Piastri was able to close the gap down to three seconds, as Norris began lapping backmarkers, but it was clear Norris would be difficult to catch.

Leclerc’s Ferrari was almost 13 seconds behind Piastri, with Hamilton a further eight seconds adrift.

With the first four places looking unlikely to change, some interesting fights were emerging further back. The RB of Liam Lawson had also been put on a one-stop strategy, setting up a battle for sixth place with Alonso.

As the race entered its closing stages, Piastri closed the gap to within two seconds, while Norris’ engineer told him to keep his discipline through the corners.

Despite being under pressure from his teammate for most of the race, Norris held on and ultimately won by 2.695 seconds over his teammate. Norris reasserted himself in the battle for the 2025 Championship, closing the gap on Piastri to just 15 points heading to Silverstone and the British Grnad Prix next Sunday.

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Peter Molloy began following Formula 1 during the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. He cheered for a certain Ayrton Senna, who was driving the same black and gold colors as a toy F1 car that Pete had been given. Pete continued to be a fan of Senna throughout his childhood. Fast forward many moons, and Peter now combines significant journalistic experience with decades of watching F1 to cover the latest on-track and off-track action.