9 hours ago
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Lap 6 of 70: Piastri is very much on Norris’ tail, wanting to make his move before his tyres begin to cook. Pressure on the race leader, while the Ferrari duo are in third and fourth.
Lap 5 of 70: Russell claims Hamilton under-braked to keep him at bay over the team radio. Norris sets a fastest lap, ekeing out a 0.8s lead over Piastri, just as Verstappen trudges back into the Red Bull paddock.
Lap 4 of 70: The race has been shortened by a lap after the delayed start; as the green flag waves, Franco Colapinto runs wide and George Russell has a dig at Lewis Hamilton in fourth – but the Ferrari man closes the door.
Antonelli accepts responsibility for the collision, saying that his brakes locked up. Verstappen offers a four-letter assessment over the team radio. Anyway, things are looking up for McLaren, and the safety car is about to come in …
The safety car is out: One normal day of F1. All I ask. Will never happen. The safety car is out while the Mercedes and Red Bull cars are towed away – it’s Verstappen’s first retirement of the season, and ends a 31-race scoring streak.
Max Verstappen crashes out
As Piastri gets past Leclerc and battles Norris for first place, Kimi Antonelli collides with Verstappen – and both drivers are out of the race!
Here we go
A second formation lap is completed, thankfully without further incident. Lights out, Norris leads into the first corner …
Big efforts from the crews to keep everyone cool. George Russell urges his team to get the mechanics some water, while Fernando Alonso estimates his seat temperature to be around “200 degrees”. Lewis Hamilton’s fan malfunctions, blowing out warm air rather rhan dry ice. It’s all happening!
The other 19 drivers are still out on the starting line, preparing for a second formation lap in five minutes’ time. All of the key players – McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes – are running a two-stop strategy, with track temperatures pushing close to 50 degrees.
Sainz is told his race is over. It can’t be a huge surprise given the circumstances. It seems he had to run most of that lap with his brakes engaged. He is fine, if more than a little frustrated.
Sainz’ Williams is on fire: Sainz pulls into the pit lane, complaining that his brakes aren’t working correctly. He overshoots the paddock, and when he does come to a halt, his brakes catch fire! The Williams crew have to extinguish the flames and tow his car back down the pit lane.
Start delayed to 2.15pm (BST)
The drivers set off on their formation lap, but Carlos Sainz’ Williams, on the very back row, doesn’t move. He does eventually move but will go into the pit lane –and the race start is pushed back by 15 minutes.
A brief chat with Max Verstappen: “We just try to do our own race, I honestly don’t know how fast or slow we are. The track temperature? Probably not ideal.”
And Oscar Piastri, the world championship leader: “Today could be good for us, it’s hotter than the rest of the weekend. Will it hurt our rivals? I hope so.”
Time for the Austrian national anthem, sung by the Vienna boys’ and girls’ choirs. They do a fine job, but focus is stolen by a troupe of dancers leaping about in full F1 regalia. Why are they making them do this? It’s roasting out there.
In last year’s race, George Russell took the chequered flag after a dramatic collision between Norris and Verstappen that turned up the heat on their developing rivalry.
Some pre-race thoughts from Lando Norris:
“We’ve got a great car, so it’s just a good start and I’ll try and control things from there really. I expect a good battle from [Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri], I expect them on the first couple of laps to be punchy but that’s racing.
“It’s not like the car feels a different level but I think it’s an improvement, and to show that we’ve taken a step forward is what we want. The main thing is delivering what it should and that’s good.”
The grid
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Lando Norris (McLaren)
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Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
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Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
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George Russell (Mercedes)
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Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
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Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
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Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
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Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
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Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
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Alex Albon (Williams)
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Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
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Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
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Oliver Bearman (Haas)
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Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
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Esteban Ocon (Haas)
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Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
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Carlos Sainz (Williams)
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Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber)
Preamble
Brad Pitt may be wowing cinema audiences in the new F1 film, but if the current season is ever adapted for the big screen then Lando Norris would be the main protagonist. Tipped as the challenger most likely to dethrone Max Verstappen, the British driver struggled to deliver in the opening acts as teammate Oscar Piastri emerged as a title contender.
The McLarens’ collision in Canada marked a new low for Norris, but this weekend might see the narrative arc begin to turn. Norris is on pole here after producing his best qualifying drive of the season, while an angry Verstappen starts down in seventh. Piastri is in third place on the grid, with Ferrari making an overdue cameo – Charles Leclerc starts second, Lewis Hamilton fourth.
With Silverstone and the season’s halfway mark coming up next week, this could be a pivotal chapter for Norris and the F1 title race. It’s lights out at 2pm (BST) at a sweltering Red Bull Ring, where we can expect more absolute cinema.
