Lando Norris fended off a fast-charging Oscar Piastri to the chequered flag in a thrilling 2025 Austrian GP, as the championship leader set the fastest lap in his recovery from third on the grid.
A yellow flag for Pierre Gasly’s spin in Q3 during Saturday’s qualifying rendered the 24-year-old third on the grid, but he instantly made amends on Lap 1 by overtaking Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
From there, the Australian instantly mounted a challenge on his teammate and frantically sought a way past but to no avail, culminating in a very late lunge that almost took both McLaren cars out of Sunday’s Formula 1 event.
Then during the first of the pit stops, he looked to go longer for an advantage over the leader but never managed to get another run on his colleague as Piastri had to settle for second and with a fastest lap of a 1:07.924 at the 2025 Austrian GP.
“It was intense,” Piastri said of his race. “I hope it was good watching because it was pretty hard work from the car. I tried my absolute best.
“I probably could have done a better job when I just got ahead momentarily. But it was a good battle. A bit on the edge at times, and probably pushed the limits a bit far.
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“It was a good race. That’s what we’re here to do – to try to race each other and fight for wins. That’s what we did today. It was close for me but not quite enough.
“Thanks to the team. To have the kind of pace we did whilst battling each other, it was very impressive. I can’t thank the team enough for the car we’ve got.”
Norris reacts to intense Piastri scrap at 2025 Austrian GP
The man from Melbourne has now seen his championship lead come down to 15 points from his colleague ahead of the 2025 British Grand Prix, which will be hosted at Silverstone and will run from July 4-6.
For Norris, he regains some much-needed momentum ahead of his home race, taking his third victory of the campaign and his second pole and win in four races as he shows signs of beginning to understand his McLaren MCL39.
“It was a tough race,” Norris told F1 TV. “Pushing the whole way through! Tricky, hot, tiring, but the perfect result for us as a team.
“A one-two is exactly what we want and we did it again, so I’m very happy. We had a great battle, that’s for sure! It was a lot of fun.
“For me, a lot of stress but a lot of fun. A nice battle, so well done to Oscar. Hopefully it was a nice one for everyone to watch, but inside the car it was tough, especially when he was in DRS.”
