Lando Norris fights off Piastri to win in Austria
Formula One
Lando Norris of McLaren staved off teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Austrian GP on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
McLaren’s Lando Norris showed composure on Sunday to fight off his teammate and Championship leader Oscar Piastri to claim his first win at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Norris won a must-win race and made the fight for the World Championship a two-man, all McLaren party between him and Piastri.
The first 20 laps consisted of Piastri sniffing at the rear wing, overtaking Norris and then losing the position immediately after. Back and forth, the McLarens battled for pole position while leaving Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc further off the pace.
If anything, the Austrian Grand Prix showed McLaren’s uncontested prowess this season - which looks to have no close rival. Their closest competitor, Max Verstappen, was forced to retire early after Kimi Antonelli crashed into him on the opening lap.
The two McLaren drivers benefited off Verstappen’s misfortune, extending the Championship gap even further.
Norris’ clutch moment performance on Sunday came at a time when he needed it the most. Had Piastri won again, the gap to the top of the Drivers Title would have become somewhat impossible - especially with the form the young Australian driver is in.
The Brit looked in top form all weekend and clearly entered a different head space after crashing into the back of Piastria last weekend in Canada. The battle out in the Red Bull Ring also looked more controlled on the part of both drivers, but nailbiting nonetheless.
The 30 degree celsius heat out in Austria made things a little more difficult for all the drivers as well.
“It was tough, hot and really tiring. Impressive result for the team and we got exactly what we wanted.
“We (Oscar Piastri) had a great battle, that's for sure. It was a little stressful but a lot of fun. It was a really nice battle so well done to Oscar and hopefully it was a nice one for everyone to watch.
“It was tough, especially because the DRS zone is so big out here. It was hard to get him out of that gap but yeah…it was good fun,” Norris said.
The gap between Piastri and Norris is closed down to just 15 points after Sunday’s GP while Verstappen is just over 50 points behind the two McLaren drivers.