Oscar Piastri has had to settle for second after a dramatic Sunday in Austria, when he twice came perilously close to crashing.
Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris claimed victory in the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, reducing the Australian’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 15 points.
The battle for the drivers’ championship appears to be down to the McLaren duo, after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen retired on lap one after being taken out by Mercedes teen Kimi Antonelli.
But Piastri came very close to having an accident which could have wiped away his world championship lead.
The Australian came out of the pits on lap 54, attempting to hunt down Norris, who was four seconds up the road.
Piastri approached the back of a battle between Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who were required to let the Australian lap them.
Alpine F1 driver Franco Colapinto (left) forcing McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri onto the grass on lap 54. (F1)
Going down the back straight Colapinto, who told his team he could not see the McLaren driver, drifted right and pushed Piastri wide. More than half of Piastri’s car was on the grass as the McLaren ace wrestled his car to keep it pointing in the right direction.
Colapinto darted to the left just in time, allowing Piastri to get back on the track, but the time loss took away the Australian’s realistic chance of catching his teammate ahead.
Piastri was furious over the team radio as his chances of winning ended there, in a moment that risked ending his race early.
“Alpine still managed to find a way to f*** me after all these years later, huh,” he said over his team radio.
Piastri was once a reserve driver for Alpine and defected to McLaren after the French outfit infamously announced him as a full-time driver for the 2023 season, despite not offering him a contract.
Starting from third, but climbing to second on the first lap, Piastri had chances early to take the lead from Norris.
The Australian briefly led on lap 11 of 70 down the back straight, before Norris was able to take the inside line into the tight corner.
A fortnight on from Norris running into the back of Piastri, the Australian came perilously close to crashing on lap 20.
He went for an audacious lunge inside Norris, locked his wheels, and just managed to stop the car before collecting his teammate.
“I tried my absolute best, probably could have done a better job when I just got ahead,” Piastri said.
“A good battle, probably pushed the limits a little far. Close, but not quite enough.”
Drama before the start as Williams catches fire in the pits
The Austrian Grand Prix had chaos before the race commenced.
As the drivers went off for the formation lap, Williams driver Carlos Sainz remained stationary on the grid.
Carlos Sainz did not start the Austrian Grand Prix after his Williams caught fire in the pit lane. (F1)
Sainz told his team his car was stuck in first gear and would not move.
The Spaniard was finally able to get moving as the other 19 cars were approaching the grid for the race start — which was aborted.
Drama turned to bedlam when Sainz was able to make it around the circuit and go into the pits. From there, Sainz’s car then caught fire.
That ended the Spaniard’s day as team members and marshals fought to extinguish the flames.
Neither Williams driver was able to finish the race, with Alex Albon retiring early in the grand prix.
Relive the action of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix with the ABC Sport live blog.
Key Events
F1 Austrian Grand Prix race classification
That is all for the live blog
That is where we will end the live blog.
Oscar Piastri gave it everything today, but ultimately, his McLaren teammate Lando Norris was too good in Austria.
Norris wins. Piastri is second.
Oscar Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ championship over Lando Norris is now 15 points.
Thank-you to those who joined me throughout the evening.
I look forward to the next blog we share.
Until then, goodbye.
The winning moment for Lando Norris
F1 Austrian Grand Prix top 10
A couple of scary moments for Oscar
Thank you Michael for another wonderful description and commentary on a brilliant and at times frustrating race.
Oscar did very well to probably even finish the race let alone coming a sensational second so everyone should be very proud.
Cheers David– David
Thanks for burning the midnight oil with me David.
Oscar Piastri has two heart-in-mouth moments.
He nearly crashed into Lando Norris on lap 20, and then was forced off the track on lap 54 by Franco Colapinto.
A career-best finish for Liam Lawson
I want to show some love to our brother from the other side of the Tasman Sea.
Liam Lawson has finished a career-best sixth tonight for Racing Bulls.
That is a great effort.
Charles Leclerc finishes third for Ferrari
Ferrari has had a great weekend.
Charles Leclerc finished third, while Lewis Hamilton was fourth.
“I rate our weekend as a team really well,” Leclerc says.
“Unfortunately, the pace today was not enough. I think [McLaren] were too fast for us to stay in second, third was the best we could do.
“I don’t regret anything we did today, we did the maximum.”
Oscar Piastri reflects on his second place in Austria
There was a brief moment when Oscar Piastri led the Austrian Grand Prix.
He took the lead into turn 3 on lap 11, but then Norris was able to open his rear wing and retake the lead into turn 4.
“I tried my absolute best, probably could have done a better job when I just got ahead,” Piastri says.
“A good battle, probably pushed the limits a little far. Close, but not quite enough.”
Lando Norris speaks after winning the Austrian Grand Prix
From the start, it was clear this was a battle between the two McLarens.
Oscar Piastri had some chances in the opening 20 laps of the race.
The Australian could not make the move stick, and from there, Lando Norris was excellent.
“It was a tough race, pushing the whole way through, tricky and tiring,” Norris says.
“We had a great battle. It was a lot of sun, a lot of stress, but a lot of fun. A nice battle, so well done to Oscar.”
Great effort from Oscar
Great job by both Lando and Oscar. Thank you, Michael Doyle, for your commentary
– Greg Henry
Thanks for sticking it out with me, Greg.
In a championship battle, if you cannot win, then you need to do everything you can to place second.
That’s what Piastri has done today.
It wasn’t to be, but he is still the championship leader.
Oscar Piastri’s championship lead is 15 points
Lando Norris has reduced his deficit to his teammate Oscar Piastri.
The gap between the two was 22 points coming into the weekend.
Piastri’s lead is now 15 points.
Lando Norris wins the Austrian Grand Prix
Lando Norris has just enough space to win.
The Brit cleared three backmarkers on the final lap, Oscar Piastri could not get close enough.
A great battle between the McLaren teammates.
Final lap: Norris holds firm
Lap 69: Norris is approaching three backmnarkers
Yuki Tsunoda gets out of the way of both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Up ahead, Gabriel Bortoleto and Fernando Alonso are battling for position.
Norris needs to be careful as he clears this.
Lap 67: Norris holds the gap at 2 seconds
Lando Norris just needs to be clean from here.
Oscar Piastri would need Norris to make a mistake to win.
FIVE LAPS TO GO
Lando Norris leads Oscar Piastri by 1.9 seconds.
Lap 64: Two seconds between the McLaren cars
There are no cars between the McLarens at the moment.
Norris is approaching some more back markers. Will they have a say in this race?
Norris responded on lap 63 and was faster than Piastri.
Norris has been told there is a small amount of damage on his front wing.
Lap 62: Piastri now 2 seconds behind
Oscar Piastri is chasing his teammate.
The deficit after the last pit stop was four seconds. The gap is now under two seconds.
“I need some pace. Please help,” Lando Norris tells his team.
He is asking for advice about where, in the lap, the data says he could improve.
TEN LAPS TO GO
Lap 59: Piastri fastest on track, but 3 seconds adrift
It is Lando Norris’s race to lose from here.
The Brit has a 3-second lead over Oscar Piastri.
Piastri is the fastest driver on track and the Australian is catching.
But Piastri is pushing hard. I would not be surprised if Norris is conserving his tyres and managing his pace.
