Austrian Grand Prix: Norris prevails in chaotic race

The Austrian GP was predicted to be intense, and it certainly lived up to expectations. The chaos began as early as Carlos Sainz’s retirement before the first lap, and saw Lando Norris take first place in the 11th race of the season.

Sainz was unable to start the race, with the rear brakes of the Williams car catching fire. This came after he was left stranded on the grid in the formation lap, unable to get out of first gear, leading to a second formation lap.

An unexpected first-lap crash between Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli going into Turn 3 sent the grid into further disarray, taking both drivers out of the race.

Norris’ win places him only 15 points behind Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship

This follows Verstappen being prevented from setting a final high-speed lap at qualifying, after Pierre Gasly’s spins raised yellow flags, and marks Verstappen’s first retirement of the season. Overall, this was a disappointing result for the Red Bull racer, who went into his team’s home race one point away from a ban, after having accumulated 11 points on his FIA Super Licence already.

It was also a frustrating result for Antonelli, following the young rookie’s podium at the Canadian GP a couple of weeks ago. Since the race, it has been confirmed that Antonelli, who misjudged his braking at Turn 3 of the race, will suffer a three-place grid penalty and two penalty points.

More contact ensued as Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda crashed into Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, resulting in a 10-second penalty for Tsunoda.

Elsewhere, it was a successful weekend for McLaren, who are maintaining a strong lead in the Constructor’s Championship, ahead of Ferrari by 207 points. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started off strong with P1 and P2 respectively. The friendly rivalry between the two was undoubtedly tense to watch, as they battled fiercely for first place on the track. Norris’ win places him only 15 points behind Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship. It seems he has proved himself after his failed attempt at an overtake at the Canadian GP, which caused him to hit the back of teammate Piastri’s car. Consequently, Norris now stands 15 points behind his teammate in the Drivers’ Championship.

Ferrari is once again ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship

Lewis Hamilton had his best qualifying result of the season this weekend. His post-race reflection on his performance and fourth-place position expressed hope that Ferrari will continue to up the pace, as teammate Charles LeClerc, who came third, described the McLarens as simply ‘too quick’.

Despite placing Hamilton under intense pressure at points, George Russell placed fifth in the race. Alongside teammate Antonelli’s collision, Mercedes themselves described this as ‘a tough weekend for the team’. With LeClerc gaining Ferrari another podium, Ferrari is once again ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship, albeit only by one point. For now, this point is enough to earn them second place.

The season is less than halfway through, with 13 races left. It remains to be seen whether Silverstone, with its rainy weather forecast, will provide as many talking points as the turbulent last two races.