Lando Norris secured a thrilling victory at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, fending off repeated challenges from his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Starting from pole position, Norris maintained the lead for nearly the entire race, except for a brief moment on lap 11 when Piastri overtook him at turn three. Norris quickly regained the lead at turn four, and despite Piastri’s persistent efforts, including a close attempt on lap 20 that nearly resulted in a collision, he couldn’t reclaim the top spot.
McLaren allowed their drivers to race freely, which led to intense on-track battles. Norris described the contest as both stressful and fun, praising Piastri’s performance. With this win, Norris has reduced Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 15 points, following a collision between the two at the Canadian Grand Prix that ended Norris’s race prematurely.
Piastri called the race “intense,” acknowledging the difficulty of the battle and expressing hope that fans enjoyed watching the close fight.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third, trailing Piastri by nearly 20 seconds.
The race started with drama as Carlos Sainz was stuck in first gear on the grid during the formation lap, delaying the start by 15 minutes. When he finally managed to get moving and reached the pits, his brakes caught fire, forcing him to retire early. Fortunately, Sainz was unharmed.
More chaos followed on the first lap when Andrea Kimi Antonelli collided with Max Verstappen at turn three. Antonelli misjudged his approach and crashed into Verstappen’s car, spinning both drivers out and ending their races. Verstappen expressed frustration over the incident, while Antonelli apologized, calling it a big mistake but saying he was ready to move forward.
This collision marked Verstappen’s first retirement of the season, ending a streak of 31 consecutive races with points finishes.
With Antonelli out, Mercedes fell to third in the constructors’ standings, overtaken by Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton secured fourth place, finishing just behind teammate Leclerc.
Sauber had a strong showing as well, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg finishing eighth and ninth respectively.
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