McLaren basks in Austrian heat as Red Bull wilts

SPIELBERG BEI KNITTELFELD, Austria — Lando Norris set himself up for an emotional homecoming at the British Grand Prix on July 6, after resisting intense pressure from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri throughout the race to take the win at the Austrian Grand Prix.

But, while it was all smiles in the McLaren garage, Max Verstappen endured a dismal day, with Red Bull's four-time champion crashing out on the first lap, and his teammate Yuki Tsunoda trailing in last place.

For Norris, it was the 25-year-old Briton's first triumph on Red Bull's home tarmac, and he trimmed Piastri's lead in the title race to 15 points ahead of his and the team's home event at Silverstone.

"It was a perfect result for the team — a one-two is exactly what we want, and we did it again," he said.

His happiness came also from achieving closure on their collision at the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago, when he hit Piastri and retired pointless, admitting he had "made a fool" of himself.

This time, their thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle was completed without any rancor or tears, and was a show of its own following Verstappen's exit. His Red Bull was taken out when teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes locked up and hit him.

"We had a great battle, that's for sure," said Norris.

"It was a lot of fun and stress. A nice battle, so well done to Oscar! Hopefully, it was a nice one for everyone to watch."

His win enabled the runaway leader McLaren to move to 417 points, opening up a lead of 207 over Ferrari, for which Charles Leclerc came home third and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton fourth — the Scuderia's best result this year.

Piastri admitted he did his utmost to catch and pass Norris after passing Leclerc on the opening lap from third on the grid.

"I probably pushed the limit a bit far, but it was a good race, and that's what we were here to do — to race each other and try and fight for wins. That's what we did today.

"It was close for me, but not quite enough. Thanks to the team. To have the kind of pace we did while battling each other, it was very impressive. I can't thank this team enough for the car we've got."

'Not ideal'

Verstappen, meanwhile, is now 61 points adrift of Piastri in the drivers' title race amid mounting speculation about his future with Red Bull.

"It was just unlucky, like yesterday in qualifying," said Verstappen.

"But, overall, we did not have great pace here and we have a lot of learning to do, and must find out how to do better next weekend.

"It is not an ideal result."

It was the first time in 32 races that Verstappen has failed to finish in the points.

"We will keep trying to do our best, as always, and my mentality will never change," the Dutchman said. "We have won a lot in the past, and, sometimes, we have these times like this."

He accepted Antonelli's apology instantly, and with good grace.

The 18-year-old Italian, hit with a three-place grid penalty at Silverstone, said: "I didn't necessarily brake too late, it's just that when I braked hard behind other cars, I locked the rears. I feel super sorry to the team and to Max, of course, because, obviously, he was just a passenger."

Liam Lawson was all smiles after achieving the best result of his career, posting sixth place for the Racing Bulls.

"It has been a tough time for me, but we have worked hard, and it has been rewarded today, so I'm very happy," said Lawson, who was dumped by RB's sister team Red Bull after just two races this season.

AFP