F1 2025: Austrian Grand Prix Preview and Predictions

With teammates heating up a battle among themselves, Mercedes on the rise, and Ferrari continuing to struggle — there are plenty of narrative beats ahead of the 2025 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.

Ahead of the 2025 F1 Austrian GP, here are our preview and predictions.

Intra-team battle heating up at McLaren

The intra-team battle between the two McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, took another interesting turn in Canada as Norris crashed out of the race. To make matters worse, the crash was a result of the British driver’s over-eagerness to get past his own teammate.

Piastri and Norris, both contending for the Drivers’ Championship, are at the top of the standings, with the Australian currently in the lead.

Norris not finishing the race in Canada has allowed Piastri to build his lead to 22 points, taking a slight advantage over his more experienced teammate not just in terms of points, but psychologically as well.

As he accepted responsibility for ruining his race in Canada after an unnecessary move, this might be the first sign of pressure as Norris finds himself in a close championship battle against his own teammate.

Coming into the Austrian race, all eyes will be on the two McLaren drivers once again, with more scrutiny on Norris and how he responds after his nightmare in Montreal. McLaren, as usual, are favourites for the win in Austria, and we give Norris a slight advantage to bounce back strongly at the Red Bull Ring. 

Pole position prediction: Oscar Piastri / Lando Norris
Race winners prediction: McLaren / Ferrari

Ferrari need to wake up

McLaren might be the fastest team so far this season, but Mercedes have also shown strong race pace in recent races. George Russell converted his pole to a win in Canada, while his teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, made it a double podium for the Silver Arrows with his P3 finish.

Mercedes’ win in Canada has seen them overtake Ferrari to move into second in the Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari are now in third place, 16 points behind Mercedes.

Having shown promise in the pre-season, the Scuderia have once again failed to capitalise on a relatively strong race car with the occasional controversial team calls. Charles Leclerc has given them three podium finishes this year, but that is all; new signing Lewis Hamilton is yet to register a top-three finish.

One of Ferrari’s biggest issues has been Saturdays. Barring Leclerc in Monaco, they’ve failed to get a front row start. Racing behind the likes of McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen isn’t helping them, and coming into the Austrian race they know they’re playing catch-up to Mercedes.

That said, there is pace, talent, and experience aplenty in Ferrari’s corner. Expect them to hit back hard at the Red Bull Ring. Historically, they are the most successful team in Austria. Leclerc got them a win here in 2022; expect the Monégasque to find some of that form once again. 

Sauber making grounds

While Ferrari have been struggling at the front of the grid, one of their customer teams, Sauber, have had a big resurgence in the last few races lower down the table.

The experienced Nico Hülkenberg has had back-to-back points finishes, having picked up P5 and P8 finishes in Spain and Canada, respectively, which has helped the Swiss team move off the bottom of the table and closer to Aston Martin in eighth. 

Only eight points separate the sixth- and ninth-placed teams in the Constructors’ standings. Sauber will be looking to build on their recent form to move up in the tight lower-midfield battle, and although their biggest struggles have come on Saturdays, if they can qualify well — or in the top 15, at least — they’ll be in the running to steal some points once again.

Austrian GP 2025: Race Details

Circuit: Red Bull Ring
Venue: Spielberg, Styria, Austria
Practice Session 1 time: 17:00 IST, June 27, 2025
Practice Session 2 time: 20:30 IST, June 27, 2025
Practice Session 3 time: 16:00 IST, June 28, 2025
Qualifying time: 19:30 IST, June 28, 2025
Main race time: 18:30 IST, June 29, 2025
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode