Austrian GP: Lando Norris Wins As Max Verstappen Crashes Out

Lando Norris wins his third grand prix this season in Austria in McLaren's one-two podium finish 

Lando Norris won the Austrian Grand Prix for his third victory this season in a race dominated by McLaren from the start to finish. 

It was a one-two podium finish for McLaren, with Norris finishing quickest in 1:23:47.693s. Oscar Piastri made several attempts to overtake his teammate but eventually settled for the second position. Their counterparts, the Ferrari duo, also finished in the front row. Charles Leclerc made the podium in third, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth.

The F1 defending champion, Max Verstappen, had a disappointing race. He DNF in the first lap following a collision. His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, nearly escaped a crash midway through the race and yet finished outside of the top 10 in P16. 

Since the weekend, Verstappen had not been impressive. He finished outside of the front row in P7 in the qualifying session. There are rumours that the Dutchman is in talks with Mercedes to switch teams by the end of the season, and George Russell has been vocal about the development. However, Russell, who won last year's Austrian Grand Prix edition, finished in P5.

Norris Dominated Qualifying Session for McLaren's One-Three Front Row Finish 

Norris claimed pole position for the third time this season at the qualifying session of the Austrian Grand Prix, in 1:03.971s quicker than Charles Leclerc, who finished second. 

McLaren missed a one-two front row start as Oscar Piastri could only do one run following a yellow flag issued on his second run. The driver finished in third despite making a run. However, the defending champion, Norris, dominated the session from Q1 to Q3. 

Last weekend in Canada, Norris had a disappointing race after colliding with his teammate in the latter stages of the race and retired. He took full responsibility for the incident; however, that cost him the needed points to close the gap with Piastri in the F1 Championship race. Mercedes' George Russell won the race, and Leclerc finished fourth behind 

George Russell, on his final run, failed to post a quicker time than Lewis Hamilton, who came fourth while the Mercedes driver finished fifth. However, Max Verstappen had an impressive session, finishing seventh following a yellow flag that was issued on his final try. 

How the Final Unfolded, Pit Stops, And Team's Strategy 

Norris maintained the front row from the start, and Piastri overtook Charles Leclerc to move ahead in second. Hence, the race was dominated by the McLaren duo as Verstappen DNF following a collision on lap 1 exiting the corner. 

Kimi Antonelli crashed his car into Verstappen's. The Mercedes driver locked his car exiting a corner, leading to the collision that took out both him and his Red Bull counterpart from the race, and a safety car was deployed. 

The McLaren duo were barely challenged as they battled for supremacy. Norris pitted first. then Piastri followed; however, the battle was between the duo throughout. Thus, having to pit was not a hassle for McLaren.