The 2025 Austrian Grand Prix reminded everyone that F1’s capacity for absurdity and brilliance is alive and well, and that sometimes, the real story happens before the lights even go out.
A lot of fans remembered the old days when a formation lap delay could set the tone for a chaotic afternoon. This time, it was Carlos Sainz stuck in first gear, the brakes engaged throughout an entire lap, and then actually on fire. Williams seems to keep finding new ways to Williams itself.
That was only the beginning. Kimi Antonelli went full “KIMIKAZE” into Verstappen at Turn 3. For Max, whose second-longest scoring streak ended here (43 races!), it was a flashback to the days when a freak DNF could upend a title fight. But what’s Red Bull without Max? As we saw, dead last. We’ve often joked what would happen if Red Bull loses Max, well today we got a preview. Ouch. They fell short of Ferrari’s all-time record for consecutive points finishes, too, appalling for a team so dominant not long ago.
Meanwhile, McLaren’s 1-2, their fifth with Norris and Piastri, officially outdoes the infamous Hamilton-Alonso pairing for the team. If Alonso and Hamilton worked out as a pair, and they stayed together for a few years, they’d have racked up some insane stats together. Big if. One year was probably all they could handle together. Instead, the real show now is Lando vs. Oscar: teammates pushing each other to new heights. Lando’s defensive driving was a masterclass, letting Oscar through at Turn 3, taking a wide exit, then using DRS and a switchback to shut the door. This is exactly the Norris we need more of, not the Canada version.
And let’s not forget how wild it is that McLaren can run nose-to-tail for 20 laps, “making love to the exhaust pipe” as Horner so eloquently put it, with no tire drop-off. For decades, following closely destroyed your rubber and overheated your brakes. McLaren seems to have solved that, whether it’s cooling tricks, better aero, or some two-phase material magic. Whatever it is, it’s working.
Behind the orange duo, Leclerc quietly took a lonely P3, so uneventful you’d think he DNS’d. Hamilton matched his best result of the season, calling Ferrari’s progress “mega”, and some fans wondered if he’d spend the rest of his career doing the George Russell special of doing nothing and being on the podium.
Further down the chaos chain, Sauber and Hulk reminded us that hard work pays off. From P20 to points, with Bortoleto bagging his first career score. And yes, Alonso might be Borto’s manager, but he gave him a proper fight for it too: plus, the defense he put up on him was a teaching moment. Tough love.
And then there’s Lawson, quietly leapfrogging Tsunoda in the standings. He even lapped Yuki in the race. You can’t make that shit up.
Red Bull’s weekend? Antonelli took Max out in Turn 3 on Lap 1. But when Max is out, and Yuki’s race is described by Horner himself as “horrible”, you know this team is on thin ice. Some fans called it the team’s German GP 2019 moment, but worse, because this was no freak rainstorm. This was just straight depression.
Next up? Silverstone. Lando’s home turf. Both McLarens brimming with momentum. And with the championship fight still alive, just maybe, the final word goes to the fans: Championship might just be back on.