Lando Norris on Oscar Piastri battle in F1 Austrian GP: “We had to move on from Montreal”. Lando Norris reflects on his intense battle with Oscar Piastri at the Red Bull Ring.

Lando Norris bounces back after Montreal
It’s been a tough two weeks for Lando Norris, who faced considerable pressure after the clash in Montreal. The British driver handled it perfectly throughout the Red Bull Ring weekend, consistently showing top pace and holding off Oscar Piastri to deliver a brilliant one-two finish for McLaren.

Lando Norris maintained the lead from the first lap but constantly had Piastri in his mirrors. On lap 11, the Australian launched a bold move into Turn 3, briefly taking the lead, but car #4 responded by using DRS on the run to Turn 4. When the championship leader tried again on lap 20, the two came dangerously close to repeating the Canada GP incident—so much so that the pit wall called for more caution—but Norris saw no reason for concern going forward.

Lando Norris’ comments
“I did everything I had to do: I stayed in front, defended well, and attacked when needed. It was fun, and I had several things to manage, like degradation—which was quite high today—traffic, and the battery. I couldn’t recharge it properly during the first 20 laps, and if I hadn’t managed to in the end, Oscar probably would have passed me. I was vulnerable, really on the limit. There wasn’t much more I could do beyond pitting,” Lando Norris admitted. “I’m proud and happy for the whole team. It was a tough race today—one of the most beautiful and difficult wins in that sense, also because of all the battles between me and Oscar.”

“Crossing the finish line was the best part. Oscar and I had fun, with some close and exciting battles. I spent many laps watching my mirrors—it wasn’t the most comfortable position and was stressful, but in the end, it was also a lot of fun. It was a well-managed race: we both knew what to expect from each other, and we both want to race fairly. We had to move on from Montreal—it’s something I wish had never happened—and in the end, nothing happened today that made Andrea [Stella] or the pit wall sweat too much.” – the British driver concluded at the end of the Austrian Grand Prix.