Antonelli's error ends Verstappen's race as Norris conquers Austria

Few races encapsulated the drama of Formula 1 in 2025 quite like the Austrian Grand Prix. Held at the picturesque Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, the race featured a fiery Carlos Sainz setback before the start, an opening-lap collision that eliminated Max Verstappen, and a thrilling duel between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for victory. As Formula 1 returns to Austria, here's a look back at how the action unfolded.

The 2025 race at the Red Bull Ring proved to be action-packed even before lights out, with Carlos Sainz in the Williams suffering early technical issues with his car. The Spanish driver was unable to get off the line for the formation lap and needed the aid of the marshals to get his Williams rolling.

The delay prompted by Sainz led to the start of the session being aborted, as the Williams driver got going just as pole-sitter Norris was approaching the main straight to take his position for the start. However, the early gremlins experienced by Sainz showed no sign of abating, with the former Scuderia Ferrari driver witnessing the rear of his car go up in flames just as he entered the pit lane. The Spaniard was forced to exit the cockpit, resulting in the first retirement before the race had even begun in Austria.

The early chaos in the Styrian hills showed no sign of slowing down, as shortly after the race commenced, the need for a safety car emerged almost immediately. Norris got a great start off the line ahead of Charles Leclerc, who lost a position to Piastri. Lewis Hamilton, who qualified fourth, was able to hold off the charging George Russell.

However, the early battle for track position was halted when Antonelli locked the rear of his car and subsequently lost control, clattering into Verstappen as the cars approached Turn 3 at the Red Bull Ring. The collision spelt the end of the race for the pair, with the stewards subsequently handing Antonelli a three-place grid penalty to be served at the next race at Silverstone.

Following the restart after the safety car, the race unfolded in a much more controlled manner, albeit not for Norris and Piastri, as the McLaren drivers traded track position in a bid to claim victory at the Grand Prix. The pair had a near-miss moment when Piastri locked up and almost clattered into Norris, an incident that reawakened memories of a similar situation between the pair in Canada; however, no collision occurred.

Piastri also had a brief moment where he was forced onto the grass as Franco Colapinto, in the Alpine, offered him little room on the exit of the corner despite being shown blue flags.

The race ultimately concluded with Norris storming to victory ahead of Piastri, marking McLaren's first win at the Austrian Grand Prix since 2001 with David Coulthard. Leclerc completed the podium, while teammate Hamilton secured fourth place ahead of Russell. Liam Lawson, in the Racing Bulls, finished sixth, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg, and Esteban Ocon, who rounded out the points-scoring positions.