Key events
Lando Norris has insisted he and McLaren will come back stronger after the British driver’s title ambitions took a blow when he had to retire at the Canadian Grand Prix having made an error in hitting his teammate Oscar Piastri on track.
Norris was challenging Piastri for fourth place in Montreal when he attempted to pass and made what he later described as a “stupid” mistake.
Norris immediately took responsibility for the accident after the race and apologised to Piastri and his team for his misjudgment.
Speaking before this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, the 11th race of the 24-meeting season, Norris confirmed he and the team engaged in extensive talks about the incident, with the British driver believing it had been a beneficial process.
Not the most joyful conversations but conversations that needed to be had clearly. Some very constructive things and in an unfortunate way but a good way I think many things have come out stronger than I would say they were prior to the weekend. Which you might not expect but is a good outcome. Through an unfortunate circumstance a lot has been learned and a lot of things have turned into being stronger than they were before.
Read more from Giles Richards at the Red Bull Ring below.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to qualifiers of the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg.
The Red Bull Ring is a picturesque circuit that drivers find to be relatively simple. But it does come with some secret tough spots. The downhill braking zone at Turn 4 is a spot where so many drivers end up in the gravel. The track surface is quite old and highly abrasive, which teams will factor when picking their tires.
As it has been for most of the season, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – both of McLaren – lead the driver standings with the defending champion Max Verstappen in third. Norris ended the final practice session at the Red Bull Ring in first, closely followed by Piastri.
Join me for the buildup and news before we get to the 3pm BST qualifiers. And, as always, feel free to send your predictions, questions and concerns via email.
