Lando Norris impressed Martin Brundle as the McLaren racer held off Oscar Piastri to win the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, having also ‘decimated the field’ during qualifying.

The 25-year-old will now head into his home round at Silverstone on a high after Norris took his third pole position and third win of the 2025 F1 season so far at the Red Bull Ring. He set the biggest pole-margin of the year thus far last Saturday in Styria, as well, at 0.521 seconds.

Norris capitalised on yellow flags brought out by Alpine ace Pierre Gasly spinning at the end of Q3 to score pole for the Austrian GP with a 1:03.971. McLaren teammate Piastri and Max Verstappen of Red Bull were unable to threaten the Briton’s effort thanks to the yellow flags.

But the Bristol-born pilot would spend the race pushing to keep his Australian stablemate in P2, after Piastri passed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari at Turn 1. Piastri briefly overtook Norris for the lead of the 2025 Austrian GP, but the Briton held the speed to go on and win by 2.695s.

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Martin Brundle praises Lando Norris after he ‘kept his head’ to win the 2025 Austrian GP

How Norris handled his fight with Piastri to win the Austrian GP impressed Brundle, who has praised the now seven-time Grand Prix winner as he ‘kept his head’ at the Red Bull Ring. It is not always a strength of the 12-time polesitter to keep cool in a fight, but he did so in Styria.

What made Norris’ performance even more impressive for Brundle is that he kept calm with Piastri ‘on his tail’ throughout the Austrian GP. He only led the 24-year-old by 0.799s before McLaren pitted Norris on Lap 20/70, and had to push as Piastri closed in with his tyre offset.

Brundle told Sky Sports News (02/07, 07:22): “Oscar was super-fast in Austria. He is fast, he is consistent, he is ruthless and he’s learned a lot. He’s got the best car on the grid, as well.

“Lando smashed them to pieces in qualifying, absolutely decimated the field. But Oscar was right on his tail through the race. He had the help of DRS.

“But Lando kept his head and his race craft was very good, which is not always the case. So, it was a perfect weekend for Lando to get his season back on track.”

Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Lando Norris must keep his head again to end McLaren’s 17-year wait for another British Grand Prix win

Norris needed to deliver a strong performance at the Austrian GP to help his position in the F1 driver’s championship, in which he now only trails Piastri by 15 points prior to the British Grand Prix this Sunday. The Briton had faced his biggest deficit in 2025 before last weekend.

A 22-point margin separated the McLaren teammates ahead of the Austrian GP after Norris crashed into Piastri in the 2025 F1 Canadian Grand Prix, which saw the former retire on the spot while the latter finished in P4. Now, Norris will try to eat further into his deficit at home.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Norris can win the 2025 British GP following his victory at the Red Bull Ring. But the Woking team’s priority is that a McLaren driver tops the podium at Silverstone, having not won their home race since 2008 with Lewis Hamilton.

Norris will no doubt have to keep his head, like Brundle saw in Austria, to be the driver who ends McLaren’s wait for their 15th British GP win so far. He has the added pressure of being a favourite for the victory, has his own grandstand at Stowe and Piastri will want to respond.