Norris holds off Piastri to win Austrian F1 GP after Verstappen crashes out early

Lando Norris won the Austrian Grand Prix after a tightly contested, tense battle with his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. The pair delivered an intense fight but the British driver held the upper hand to take the flag. However, Max Verstappen’s title hopes took a huge setback when the world champion was knocked out of the race on the opening lap, having been struck by the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli.

Ferrari enjoyed a strong return at the Red Bull Ring, with Charles Leclerc third and Lewis Hamilton in fourth. George Russell was fifth for Mercedes.

After Norris and Piastri clashed at the last round in Canada, hearts must have been in mouths at McLaren as their drivers vied to thrilling effect over the opening third of the race, ducking and diving at one another in a bravura display that remained nip and tuck all the way to the flag.

However, Norris held his nerve and the edge over his teammate and closed out the win with superb control. It was no little redemption and an enormously resilient comeback after his misjudgment in hitting Piastri in Montreal.

He has closed the gap to Piastri, the championship leader, to 15 points but for Verstappen, the title now looks to be a monumental mountain to climb. He was unceremoniously smashed into by an over-eager Antonelli at turn three on the first lap, the world champion’s race over in seconds, and he now trails Piastri by 61 points, a gap that appears all but insurmountable given the pace advantage McLaren enjoy over Red Bull.

McLarens Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri provided a thrilling duel in Austria. Photograph: Gintare Karpaviciute/Reuters

The victory is a huge fillip for Norris in what looks likely to be an even more closely fought title fight with Piastri. The Briton badly needs to demonstrate he is still very much in the game and did so emphatically here, with a dominant pole followed by an equally controlled and assured victory, his third of the season and one indicative that he is determined not to allow his teammate to take charge of the championship battle.

More important, it may suggest something of a turning point for the British driver. He has struggled a little this season; lacking the responsive feel from the front axle of the car, he likes to push it to the limit through corners and it has caused him problems, particularly in qualifying. However, McLaren brought a major upgrade to Austria, with front and rear aero improvements and, vitally for Norris, on his car a front suspension development they were hoping would give him the feel he requires.

In the race he was clearly enjoying a car beneath him that was positively purring as he tickled it beneath the eaves of the Styrian mountains. This was the Norris who entered the season as title favourite and who, on this form, may yet reassert that role over Piastri.

Norris led the field away, holding place as Piastri moved up to second past Leclerc through turn one, only for a safety car to be called almost immediately. Antonelli went in far too hot at the tight right-hander of turn three and clattered into Verstappen, who had started in seventh, ending both drivers’ races.

“I got hit, like crazy. Fucking idiots,” was Verstappen’s blunt assessment. He had qualified out of position, unlucky with a yellow flag, and it left him in a more vulnerable position but he was not at fault and the Dutchman was hugely unlucky to take such a severe blow to his title ambitions.

Max Verstappen was unlucky to take hit to his title hopes after being clattered by Kimi Antonelli which ended his race. Photograph: Gintare Karpaviciute/Reuters

Racing resumed on lap four and Norris held his lead with ease through the restart from Piastri with Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth. Piastri immediately began to pressure Norris as the pair opened a gap out front, running line astern and with a huge pace advantage over the field.

Piastri, with DRS, was all over Norris’s gearbox and the British driver was unable to break away. The pair went wheel-to-wheel, side-by-side throughout the opening corners of lap 11, barely inches apart in a gripping tussle. Piastri edged ahead only for Norris to come back at him.

Norris just held on as they battled hard but clean in a race of their own. The pressure on Norris was immense as the contest continued but the British driver held his nerve and the place. On lap 20 Piastri once more had a look into turn four but could not make it and he locked up.

Through the two sets of pit stops there was little between them and in the final third Piastri was undeterred. Once more he closed to within three seconds with 10 laps to go and Norris had to keep his head down as he navigated traffic and attempted to maintain the lead.

It was a tense, gripping finale. Piastri moved to within just under two seconds but Norris had iron will out in front, flawless to check out the final laps and take the flag.

Liam Lawson was sixth for Racing Bulls, Fernando Alonso seventh for Aston Martin, Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg eighth and ninth for Sauber and Esteban Ocon 10th for Haas.