2025 F1 Austrian GP: Preview and Predictions

The 2025 F1 Austrian GP will be the 11th race of the season, and it comes on the backdrop of the title contenders colliding with each other. The race in Canada saw Mercedes pick up its first win of the season.

It also saw the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri battle it out. Even though it ended in tears, this was a first glimpse into something that we might see more and more this year as things start to heat up.

This weekend we're heading to Red Bull's home race, the F1 Austrian GP. The race has been a fortress for Max Verstappen, as the driver has won here quite a few times. It was, however, won by Canadian GP winner George Russell last time around, as the Dutch driver had a collision with Lando Norris.

With that being said, what can we expect this time around from the F1 Austrian GP? Let's take a look.

2025 F1 Austrian GP: Preview

Key Storylines

#1 The Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri clash

Lando Norris was quick to apologize for the clash with Oscar Piastri, and there's no doubt he was at fault for that one. The thing is, these two drivers are battling for the title here, and even though Norris apologized then and the team shrugged it off, the topic would take center stage once again.

How does Norris deal with this? The F1 Austrian GP is going to give a lot of answers for this.

#2 Ferrari upgrades

Ferrari was the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons in Canada. The future of Fred Vasseur is under the scanner, and the drivers are desperately demanding a set of upgrades.

Vasseur had hinted that the upgrades would come before Silverstone, and that should mean the F1 Austrian GP.

Fans would hope that is the case because the team needs it desperately.

#3 The Max Verstappen exit clause trigger

If rumors are to be believed, then Max Verstappen's exit clause deadline is the F1 Austrian GP. After weeks of trepidation, Helmut Marko has been sounding more and more confident about Verstappen's future with the team.

The Dutch driver's future seems to be associated with George Russell as well, as his Mercedes contract appears to be on standby for this very reason.

How Verstappen does at one of his fortresses could potentially play a role in the Dutch driver deciding what his future is going to be.

Form Guide

On Form

In the eyes of many, Russell has propelled himself to a slot of being one of the best drivers in F1. Ever since Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes, the transition to Russell taking over the role of a leader at the team has been seamless.

The driver won the F1 Austrian GP last time around and would be keenly keeping an eye on how good or bad the Mercedes is this weekend.

Out of Form

Lance Stroll was at his disinterested best during the F1 Canadian GP race weekend. It was an even bigger surprise because that race was the home race for the Aston Martin driver. The upgrades on the car have helped Alonso score and become a more consistent points scorer, but not much has changed for his teammate.

The Canadian's patience and continued losses at the hands of his teammate are starting to wear on the driver, and it would be interesting to see how he approaches the F1 Austrian GP.

Driver with the biggest spotlight

It's got to be Lando Norris. The McLaren driver would be swarmed by the media with questions around his move on Oscar Piastri. While the Brit has apologized, the bigger question is how he bounces back from that, as the title is at stake.

2025 F1 Austrian GP: Predictions

Who wins the race?

Pirelli is bringing the same configuration that it did last season, as the F1 Austrian GP was a two-stopper last year. The track is a Red Bull/Max Verstappen fortress where the Dutch driver has been dominant over the years.

This weekend, it's not going to be easy for sure, but the track characteristics should keep Red Bull in the mix and possibly edge it for Max Verstappen, who would want to give his fans something to cheer for.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Team)

Williams might just be the team this weekend that pulls off a scalp during the F1 Austrian GP and picks off one of the Mercedes or Ferrari drivers. The car is brilliant on the straights, and there are quite a few on this track, which should aid the car.

This might just be the weekend where the team picks up another big score.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Driver)

The long straights should bring Williams into the mix, and with that, this race might just be the point where Carlos Sainz starts tipping the scales in his favor. The Spaniard has made giant strides from the point where he was at the start of the year, and there's not much separating him and Albon now.

The F1 Austrian GP brings Sainz back into the equation as we back him to score a decent haul of points.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Team)

Aston Martin has had a surge since the upgrades in Imola. Fernando Alonso especially has become a regular in Q3 and is putting together results that one expected from him in general. The F1 Austrian GP, however, might not be the best track for the car, and we might see the team struggle a bit once again.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Driver)

Red Bull Ring is one of the worst tracks in terms of results for Lewis Hamilton. He has won a few here in the past, but when it comes to getting the best from the car, it's not been the best for a while.

Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, has had a good run here. While the Brit tries to find his feet at Ferrari, the F1 Austrian GP might not be the race in which he achieves that.

Edited by Tushar Bahl