Following a dramatic Canadian Grand Prix, Formula 1 heads to the Red Bull Ring this weekend for the Austrian Grand Prix, held at Red Bull`s home circuit.
As the 2025 season reaches its eleventh round, we examine the key storylines intensifying the competition at the front…
More Piastri, Norris fireworks?
Lando Norris promptly took responsibility for his collision with teammate Oscar Piastri late in the Canadian Grand Prix, diffusing immediate tension between the McLaren drivers.
While McLaren management, Andrea Stella and Zak Brown, anticipated such situations, they ultimately have no control once drivers are on track competing fiercely.
“What happened happened and I regretted it at the time and apologised for it,” Norris stated. “Sadly, it’s also racing. I take it on the chin and I’ve got to move on. I’ve got to look at the next race and see how I can do a better job and not make those silly mistakes at times.
“There’s a lot of positives and I’ll make sure to look at them and build on what I’ve got because once I get into a good rhythm I’m sure I will be very happy.”
The Red Bull Ring is a track historically known for action, featuring three consecutive DRS zones and significant braking areas leading into Turns 3 and 4. Team-mates have come close here before, recalling incidents like Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton colliding on the final lap in 2016, or Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez`s intense battle in the 2023 Sprint.
Given the close performance between the McLaren drivers, they could find themselves in another direct battle just two weeks after Canada.
“Now Norris knows what Piastri will do in the races. He won’t be surprised anymore,” commented 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
“Norris has generally been quicker in the races. He just needs to figure out qualifying because that’s been up and down but he still has the edge on speed. He’s behind in the points, so is more the underdog and that might help him.”
Norris, currently 22 points adrift of Piastri in the championship standings, is still seeking consecutive wins in the same season, despite having opportunities in the past year. His first F1 podium came five years ago in Austria, and the British Grand Prix follows a week later, offering the 25-year-old support from his home crowd. These two potentially strong tracks could provide Norris with the momentum he needs.
Jenson Button commented, “This is the moment whether we see Lando is in a good mental place and whether he will come out of the other side strong. I think he has in terms of being confident in his ability and putting it all out there, so I’m excited to see him move on.”
Verstappen continues to walk penalty tightrope but could pounce on McLarens
Max Verstappen expressed frustration at questions regarding his race ban threat, a concern that will ease significantly after the Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen currently has 11 penalty points on his super licence; accumulating 12 points results in a suspension for the following race weekend.
The Dutchman had a clean race in Canada, but must avoid penalties in Austria before two points expire, as points are accumulated over a rolling 12-month period.
How has Verstappen collected his 11 points?
- June 30, 2024 – 2 points – Causing a collision with Lando Norris in the Austrian GP
- October 27, 2024 – 2 points – Forcing Lando Norris off the track at the Mexico City GP
- November 2, 2024 – 1 point – Driving too fast under a Virtual Safety Car in the Sao Paulo Sprint
- November 30, 2024 – 1 point – Driving unnecessary slowly and impeding George Russell in Qatar GP qualifying
- December 8, 2024 – 2 points – Causing a collision with Oscar Piastri in the Abu Dhabi GP
- June 1, 2025 – 3 points – Causing a collision with George Russell in the Spanish GP
Verstappen holds a record five wins at the Red Bull home track and was a strong contender last year before a slow pit stop led to his collision with Norris. The 2024 Austrian Grand Prix was arguably the last event where Red Bull`s car was dominant throughout the weekend, with Verstappen taking Sprint pole, Sprint win, and pole position.
Although he has secured wins and poles since then, notably in Suzuka and Imola this year, Red Bull has often had to find significant performance gains between Friday and Saturday sessions.
The short Austrian track, with only seven braking zones, seems to suit Red Bull`s car design across different regulations, but Christian Horner has tempered expectations.
“Probably our weakness at the moment is in the medium speed type of corners,” Horner noted. “The middle sector, there’s a bit of medium speed there, so, we’ll see. I would expect, if it’s hot, McLaren to again be stronger.”
Verstappen reduced his gap to championship leader Piastri to 43 points with a second-place finish behind race winner George Russell in Canada.
Although the season hasn`t reached its halfway point, deficits exceeding 40 points are challenging to overcome, but Martin Brundle believes Verstappen is “not out of the title fight at all”.
“If he gets beaten by George one weekend, Oscar the next weekend and Lando the weekend after that, it almost doesn’t matter, if he’s second or third,” said Brundle.
“He will nick some great wins, like we have already seen twice, and will always somehow pull a podium out of the bag as well. If his rivals start sharing out wins among themselves, he’s right in there.”
Can Russell repeat Canada triumph?
George Russell`s victory in Montreal, Mercedes` first of the season, appeared secure throughout the race. However, was this performance track-specific?
The chicanes and kerbs of Montreal suited the W16 car, which was expected to struggle in warm conditions. Yet, even on a hot and sunny race day, Russell held off Verstappen, and teammate Kimi Antonelli secured a maiden podium.
Mercedes introduced a new rear suspension in Canada, having opted against using it at the previous two races in Monaco and Spain due to uncertainty after its debut in Imola.
Toto Wolff mentioned that correlating wind tunnel data with real-world pace has been “difficult” for Mercedes, but hopes the recent upgrade has resolved their rear overheating issues.
“The swings in performance are still there. We saw it last year. We were not even closer but then [at other races] we dominated the weekend,” Wolff commented.
“Austria is going to be a different ballgame, different track layout, different challenges, so all of our eyes and brains are concentrated on Austria now.”
Russell won last year`s Austrian Grand Prix, benefiting from the late collision between Verstappen and Norris. However, he finished 15 seconds behind the leading duo, indicating Mercedes did not have the outright pace on merit.
The weather in Spielberg is forecast to be hot, with temperatures around 30°C throughout the weekend. The faster corners at the Red Bull Ring will provide a significant test for the Mercedes car.
“Though we have made solid progress with our car in recent weeks, we know that we cannot expect this level of performance each and every weekend,” said Wolff.
“The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with its absence of high-speed corners and a more closed tarmac that puts less stress on the tyres, suited the W16.
“The team executed well and took advantage of that, but we know that our rivals will likely be much more competitive in Austria this weekend.”
Ferrari to bring Austria upgrades
Although Charles Leclerc briefly led the Canadian Grand Prix during the pit stop phases, Ferrari once again seemed off the pace on a track where they had expected to be more competitive.
Lewis Hamilton hitting a groundhog impacted his performance, leading to a sixth-place finish, but Ferrari`s overall pace was still over half a second slower than the front runners.
“We are really in need of an upgrade and there’s lots of things that need to change for us to compete at the front,” Hamilton remarked in Montreal.
“We have something hopefully coming next week [in Austria]. I don’t know if it’s much, how much it is. I don’t think it’s a lot. I just think it’s one of those years.”
