Lando Norris claimed his third win of the Formula 1 season at the Austrian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in a closely fought battle at the Red Bull Ring. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the podium in third.
The race was full of drama from the start. Carlos Sainz’s car failed on the formation lap, leading to an aborted start. His car later caught fire in the pit lane, forcing him to retire before the race even began.
When the race finally got going, it didn’t last long for Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver was hit at Turn 3 by rookie Kimi Antonelli, who misjudged his braking. Both were forced to retire on the spot, to the disappointment of the home fans.
The two McLaren drivers pulled away early on, with Piastri briefly taking the lead after Norris ran wide, only for Norris to quickly take it back using DRS. They continued to race closely until McLaren instructed them to avoid risky moves after Piastri’s bold attempt into Turn 4.
Further back, Gabriel Bortoleto had a breakthrough moment by finishing eighth, scoring his first career F1 points and becoming the first Brazilian to do so since Felipe Massa in 2017.
Piastri pushed hard in the closing laps and got within two seconds of Norris, but the Brit held firm despite minor front wing damage. He crossed the line 2.6 seconds ahead, cutting Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 15 points.
