Can Lando Norris get his F1 title bid back on track at Austrian GP? Five talking points

All eyes on Norris

All eyes will be on Lando Norris at this weekend’s F1 Austrian Grand Prix. Norris failed to finish the last race in Canada after running into the back of his teammate on Lap 67.

Once again, Norris’ pace couldn’t be questioned – he looked like the quickest driver at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. However, his execution was once again lacking.

Heading into qualifying, Norris was the man to beat, dominating practice. A mistake on his first run in Q3 put him on the back foot.

From that moment onwards, Norris appeared rattled by his mistake in the final chicane and required coaching over team radio. It was unusual to hear his race engineer, Will Joseph, reminding him of his "brake references."

Norris is now 22 points behind Oscar Piastri in the title race and desperately needs a smooth weekend. The Red Bull Ring is one of Norris’ best circuits.

He finished on the podium for the first time in his F1 career back in 2020, setting the fastest lap of the race to finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who had a five-second time penalty. Norris was lightning quick in 2021, nearly taking pole ahead of Max Verstappen.

Similarly, in 2024, Norris probably should have won the race had it not been for Verstappen’s overly aggressive defensive tactics, which put the McLaren driver out of the race. Norris must put together a strong weekend to get his F1 title bid back on track.

Can Verstappen keep out of trouble again?

Verstappen is one penalty point away from picking up a one-race ban. The four-time world champion kept it clean last time out in Canada.

Austria is the final weekend where he needs to keep out of trouble. Ahead of the next race at Silverstone, two penalty points will expire on his licence, giving him some leeway for the remainder of the European leg of the campaign.

Regardless, Verstappen hasn’t appeared to be worried about being on the brink of a race ban, shrugging off questions consistently during his various media commitments in Montreal.

Will Ferrari’s issues continue?

Ferrari’s troublesome 2025 F1 season continued at the Canadian GP. Hamilton’s solid qualifying was ruined by car damage in the race after he ran over a groundhog.

Charles Leclerc once again showed respectable race pace and was running just four seconds behind Norris as the pair ran first and second in the middle part of the race while they waited to do their second stop.

Leclerc’s pace when he switched onto the medium tyre was nowhere. Ferrari’s general lack of pace is their main problem, but both drivers are having to "lift and coast" during races.

An extremely narrow operating window and issues with the rear of the car mean Ferrari’s pace isn't consistent – even over a race distance. Whether their fix is introduced this weekend or at Silverstone remains to be seen.

Mercedes to repeat Canada?

Mercedes stormed to their first win of the season last time out in Canada. George Russell controlled the race in Montreal from pole position to take his first F1 win since Las Vegas last year.

It was a welcome return to form for Mercedes, which saw Kimi Antonelli secure his maiden F1 podium finish. Mercedes are adamant that their upturn in form in Canada was due to the track characteristics, rather than them being a genuine McLaren beater.

Austria will provide a different test with warmer track temperatures and a wider range of corners to see the true potential of the W16.

Colapinto under pressure?

The future of Franco Colapinto remains uncertain. When he was announced as Jack Doohan's replacement following the Miami Grand Prix, Alpine announced that the Argentine was on a five-race deal.

This weekend is Colapinto's fifth race for Alpine, so could he be replaced at Silverstone? Alpine executive director Flavio Briatore hasn't hinted that Colapinto will be replaced for the next race at the British Grand Prix.

However, compared to his starring drives for Williams, Colapinto's Alpine stint has been somewhat underwhelming. You can make the argument that Doohan wasn't doing any worse than Colapinto before being replaced.

To his credit, Canada was a step forward for Colapinto as he out-performed teammate Pierre Gasly, while in Barcelona, a technical issue curtailed his weekend in qualifying. 

It's one to watch.