Max Verstappen’s title hopes in tatters? Our F1 insider saw Red Bull woe in Austria

Lando Norris fought off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to assert an important victory on the Austrian Grand Prix.

Listed here are our largest winners and losers from a dramatic and tense F1 race on the Crimson Bull Ring…

Winner – Lando Norris / McLaren

This was the consequence Norris badly wanted to bounce again from his heartbreak in Canada final outing and revive his aspirations of turning into F1 world champion this 12 months.

After sitting out of FP1 for McLaren junior Alex Dunne, Norris produced a sensational efficiency to prime each apply session and seize a dominant pole place at a observe he loves.

Norris then resisted a race-long problem from Piastri and held his nerve to transform pole into his third win of the season, and one which sees him cut back the Australian’s championship lead down to fifteen factors.

A McLaren 1-2, coupled with a nasty day for Mercedes, has additional strengthened the staff’s stranglehold on the prime of the constructors’ standings, giving them a large 207-point buffer.

Loser – Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen’s title defence has suffered an enormous blow following his opening lap retirement in Austria. The four-time world champion was cleaned out by Kimi Antonelli’s out-of-control Mercedes at Flip 3.

With Norris and Piastri ending first and second, the Dutchman has now fallen 61 factors off the lead of the world championship.

With 13 races nonetheless remaining, there are clearly loads of factors up for grabs, however given the challenges Crimson Bull proceed to face with their RB21, together with McLaren’s dominance, issues have simply obtained a complete lot bleaker for Verstappen in his quest to win a fifth successive drivers’ crown.

Winner – Ferrari

Ferrari loved their strongest weekend of the season throughout each qualifying and the race because the introduction of a serious improve appeared to offer a big uplift in efficiency.

Third and fourth place for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton represents Ferrari’s finest and most convincing results of 2025 to this point, even when they have been by no means in competition for victory.

Leclerc completed almost 20 seconds adrift of Piastri, underlining how a lot efficiency Ferrari nonetheless want to search out to get into race-winning competition, however they have been the second quickest staff in Austria on advantage, and have reclaimed second within the constructors’ from Mercedes.

Loser – Kimi Antonelli 

How shortly issues can change in F1. In Canada, Antonelli was a hero, and in Austria he went to zero as he was introduced again all the way down to earth with an almighty bang.

After a troublesome qualifying left him solely ninth on the grid, Antonelli’s bid to salvage a good consequence lasted mere seconds earlier than he locked up and misplaced management of his Mercedes and picked up Verstappen.

To rub salt into the injuries on a painful weekend, Antonelli has copped a three-place grid drop for subsequent weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Winner – Liam Lawson

2025 has been a brutal season to this point for Liam Lawson, however Austria supplied a welcome reprieve because the New Zealander secured his best-ever F1 consequence.

Backing up a standout efficiency in qualifying to line up from sixth – forward of Verstappen – Lawson pulled off a well-executed one-stop technique to retain P6 and take simply his second factors end of the 12 months.

On the residence of Crimson Bull, it was Lawson who led residence the power drinks firm’s cost for sister staff Racing Bulls, who leapfrog Haas as much as sixth within the constructors’ standings.

Loser – Williams

It was a weekend to overlook for Williams in Spielberg as each their vehicles did not take the end – with one not even making the beginning.

Carlos Sainz failed to begin Sunday’s race after his fiery exit within the pit lane, having first encountered points that prevented his automotive from leaving the grid on the formation lap.

To compound Williams’s distress, Alex Albon retired for the second consecutive grand prix resulting from an overheating concern.

Winner – Gabriel Bortoleto / Sauber

Gabriel Bortoleto loved his strongest weekend of his rookie F1 season thus far. 

Having reached Q3 for the primary time on Saturday, the two-stopping Brazilian secured his maiden factors with an excellent drive to eighth, having narrowly come out second finest in a late battle together with his mentor and supervisor, Fernando Alonso, who had to make use of all of his expertise to only keep forward on the chequered flag.

Credit score too should go to Nico Hulkenberg, who impressively rose from twentieth to ninth to make it three consecutive factors finishes for the German and full a primary double factors haul for Sauber this 12 months. 

Loser – Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda was left bewildered as his struggles to adapt to Crimson Bull’s 2025 F1 automotive continued in Austria.

The Japanese racer was to this point off the tempo he admitted it was “like the primary time I’m driving in F1” en path to a nightmarish sixteenth and final within the classification.

Factors by no means appeared on the playing cards for Tsunoda however his race was ruined after a slipshod collision with Franco Colapinto broke his entrance wing and required an unscheduled pit cease.

Winner – Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon made it back-to-back factors finishes – and three prime 10 appearances throughout the previous 4 races – as he recovered from seventeenth to seize the ultimate level on supply in tenth.

An opportunistic drive from Ocon, who profited from chaos round him to make sure Haas depart Austria forward of Aston Martin, having misplaced sixth place to Racing Bulls.

Loser – Franco Colapinto

Bar it not have been for Piastri’s lightning-fast reactions, Colapinto might have been liable for taking out the F1 world championship chief.

Colapinto was locked in a battle with Tsunoda and seemingly unaware of Piastri when he inadvertently pressured the McLaren driver onto the grass in his bid to get previous Tsunoda.

The under-pressure Alpine driver was hit with a five-second time penalty – in addition to a penalty level on his licence – for the incident which left him fifteenth within the remaining order.