McLaren Drivers Captivate F1 Competition
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been captivating the Formula 1 scene. The Australian driver leads the driver standings with 216 points, while the British driver secured first place in the Austrian GP.
Norris’ Victory and Piastri’s Second Place
“It was a tough race, constantly pushing the limits. Hot, exhausting. But the result, a perfect 1-2 for us as a team, is exactly what we wanted, and we managed to achieve it again. So I’m very happy. Probably the best comeback since Canada,” Norris commented.
Piastri finished second in Austria for the second consecutive year.
“I hope it was a good show because the car had to work really hard. Yes, I gave it my all and maybe could have done better when I momentarily overtook, but it was a good battle. A bit on the edge at times, probably pushing the limits. That’s what we’re here for: to compete against each other and then fight for the wins, and that’s what we did today. I was close but not quite there. So thanks to the team. Having the pace we had while fighting was impressive.”
Ferrari Celebrates Return to the Podium with Charles Leclerc
Ferrari experienced a celebratory atmosphere due to their return to the podium, thanks to Charles Leclerc. The Monégasque driver, Lewis Hamilton’s teammate, finished in third place, marking his third podium in the last four Grands Prix.
“I think we had a good weekend as a team, but unfortunately, our pace today wasn’t enough. In the first corner, I thought about going, but Lando closed the door, leaving it open for Oscar. I lost the second place. In the end, they were too fast for us to hold onto second, so third was the best we could achieve. We gave our all, but we didn’t have the pace,” Charles said.
Max Verstappen’s Streak Interrupted in Austria
Max Verstappen’s impressive qualifying record at the Red Bull Ring was cut short when he finished the session in seventh place, with no optimism shown for the upcoming Austrian GP.
Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen’s teammate, had another challenging weekend and crossed the finish line in 16th place.
“I will study more. I just need to research more, and if I can find something different in my driving style or something I can learn from Max [Verstappen] doing differently, I will try it all, left to right, and keep improving,” explained the Red Bull driver.
More Details on the Austrian GP
- McLaren achieved its fourth doblete of the season, the most for the team since 2007.
- Norris‘s seventh career victory.
- The last McLaren driver to win at the Red Bull Ring was David Coulthard in 2001.
- Only two drivers have won exactly seven Grandes Premios with McLaren: Norris and Piastri.
- Leclerc’s fifth podium at the Red Bull Ring, his highest tally at any circuit.
- His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, matched his best seasonal result in a GP (also finishing fourth in Imola).
- Hamilton finished fourth with Mercedes in the previous year’s race.
- George Russell finished fifth with Mercedes and has only failed to score once this season (11th in Monaco).
- Liam Lawson’s sixth-place finish with Racing Bulls was his best career result.
- Fernando Alonso, with Aston Martin, accumulated two consecutive seventh-place finishes, in Canada and Austria.
- Gabriel Bortoleto’s eighth-place finish with Kick Sauber was his first points result.
- Sauber’s best result at the Red Bull Ring since Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth in 2001.
- Nico Hulkenberg, Bortoleto’s teammate, scored from ninth place, starting last on the grid.
- Hulkenberg is the first Sauber driver to score in three consecutive races since Valtteri Bottas in 2022.
- Sauber earned two points for the first time since Qatar 2023.
- Esteban Ocon’s tenth-place finish with Haas was his fifth points result of the season.
- Verstappen’s two first-lap abandons were due to collisions with Mercedes; the previous one was in Silverstone 2021.
- Verstappen’s streak of 31 consecutive points-paying races ended.
- Kimi Antonelli’s first-lap retirement was the latest Mercedes abandonment in the first lap.
- Antonelli’s only point in the last five races was his podium in Canada.
