Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both said they knew what to expect from each other as they reacted to their thrilling duel at the 2025 Austrian GP; as both McLaren drivers proved their collision in Canada was an unfortunate one-off.
With Norris on pole and Piastri in third, split by Charles Leclerc, the young Australian wasted no time getting onto the gearbox of his British teammate by picking off the Ferrari at the first corner.
From there? Fireworks. As the 24-year-old got into DRS range of his colleague in papaya, the pair found themselves going wheel-to-wheel for the first time since crashing in Montreal – a moment that almost caused both championship protagonists to DNF.
However, this time on Sunday, June 29 it was all’s fair in love and war between them at the Red Bull Ring as neither stepped over the line too much, racing very hard but very clean as they delivered a masterclass in combat to the rest of the field.
The man from Melbourne tried moves at Turns 3 and 4 but couldn’t make anything stick before pit stops separated them to the chequered flag, whilst his Bristolian counterpart proved he has the mental strength to win a Formula 1 title by keeping composed.
Yet it all nearly ended in disaster when Piastri locked up at Turn 3 and almost slammed into Norris, so how did he feel about that moment as he reacts to that thrilling duel at the 2025 Austrian GP – and did he get more than he bargained for?
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“There have been a few battles in the past,” Piastri told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Not just last week, but last year and the year before. So, I think we both knew what to expect.
“It was a tough battle. It was close at some points, probably pushing the limits a bit much from my side once or twice. But we’re fighting for race wins in F1.
“It’s going to be pretty tough work and pretty hard. I thought it was an entertaining race.”
Piastri added, of being told not to go for a 50/50 move: “I thought it was a fair comment. Locking up and missing the back of your team-mate by not a lot is certainly pushing the boundaries.
“Even if I hadn’t been told anything, I didn’t think it was a wise decision to try that one again. So, yeah, a fair comment and nothing more than that.”
Lando Norris reacts to thrilling Piastri battle
For Norris, he now gets his title charge moving back in the right direction after the DNF in Montreal as he closes to within 15 points of his teammate, whilst opening up a comfortable buffer to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Now knowing it’s a two-team fight for the honour of becoming the first McLaren world champion since Lewis Hamilton did all the way back in 2008, he can shift his attention solely to focusing on Piastri. So how did he feel about their Sunday scrap in Spielberg?
“No. I mean, we just had some good battles, and we’ve had a couple in the past,” Norris agreed to media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Granted, they probably didn’t last as long as they did today, but no, I think we both knew what to expect from each other.
“We both want to race hard and race fair. It goes both ways, and of course, kind of have to put Montreal behind us and behind me for sure. It’s something I wish never happened.
“But it was nice that we could go out and have a good battle and push things to the limits. There were still some close moments, but nothing that would make Andrea or the pit wall sweat too much.”
