Present rivalries and past collisions hang over Red Bull's home Austrian Grand Prix as Formula 1 braces for the next round of Max Verstappen versus George Russell and more title-chasing drama at McLaren.
Russell and reigning champion Verstappen finished first and second in Canada two weeks ago, with Red Bull protesting - in vain - the Mercedes win and accusing the Briton of unsportsmanlike behaviour.
It is safe to say the pair are not friends and they are building up quite a track record, colliding in Spain this month in an incident that left Verstappen blamed and on the brink of a mandatory race ban.
Two of those penalty points expire after Austria but he still has to stay out of trouble through a weekend in the Styrian hills where his orange-shirted fans will be out in numbers.
"It's always a great weekend there. We've had a lot of great results and, hopefully, we can have another strong weekend there," said Verstappen, the Austrian GP winner in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Team boss Christian Horner was not about to make any sweeping predictions: "Probably our weakness at the moment is in the medium-speed type of corner. Austria, that middle sector, there's a bit of medium speed there. So we'll see.
"I would expect, if it's hot, McLaren to again be stronger. There's still a significant points gap between us and them. But we don't give up on anything. We're not even at the halfway point yet," ventured Horner.
Verstappen vs Norris got ugly last year
Verstappen and Norris caused a commotion in Spielberg last year when they collided while scrapping for the lead, with Norris chasing. That gifted victory to Russell.
Norris will return with the memory of that coming together now overtaken by the one between him and Piastri in Canada that left him 22 points adrift of the Australian after 10 of 24 races.
The Briton, who retired in Montreal while Piastri finished fourth, could only blame himself for that error of judgement and knows without too much soul-searching that there can be no repeat.
Another question neutrals want answered is whether McLaren will come back strong after a surprisingly low-key Canadian weekend that raised questions about their early domination slipping.
Montreal was the first race this season without a McLaren on the podium or front row, and also Mercedes' best so far with Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli third and on the podium for the first time in his F1 career.
Can Mercedes make it two in a row?
"We know that our rivals will likely be much more competitive in Austria this weekend," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "The track in Spielberg will be a good test of our recent updates and provide another reference point for our progress."
The same track, in 2023, marked a turning point for McLaren and the start of their rise to the top.
It was also where Norris took his first podium in 2020, but he will have to wait until Friday's second practice to start work.
Ireland's F2 leader Alex Dunne will take Norris's car for first practice while Charles Leclerc steps aside at Ferrari to give Sweden's Dino Beganovic some track time.
Dunne will be the first Irish driver to take part in an F1 weekend since Ralph Firman with Jordan in 2003.
Austrian Grand Prix: Facts & Statistics by Reuters:
Formula One statistics for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg, the 11th round of the 24-race 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
- Lap distance: 4.318km. Total distance: 306.452km (71 laps)
- 2024 pole position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull, One minute 04.314 seconds.
- 2024 winner: George Russell (Britain) Mercedes
- Race lap record: Carlos Sainz (Spain) Ferrari 1:05.619, 2020
- Start time: 1300 GMT (1500 local)
- The Red Bull-owned circuit has the shortest lap, in terms of time, on the calendar with only 10 corners but aggressive kerbs. It takes a little over a minute to complete.
- It also has the second biggest difference between its highest and lowest points (69m), after Spa-Francorchamps.
- This year will be the 38th Austrian Grand Prix.
- The first was held at Zeltweg airfield in 1964 and moved to the Oesterreichring (later renamed A1 Ring and now Red Bull Ring) in 1970.
- There have been 10 winners from pole in 20 races on the current configuration. Most overtakes occur into turns three and four. Turns two, five and eight are taken at full throttle.
- Verstappen has a record four Austrian wins (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023) and other active winners are Charles Leclerc (2022), Lewis Hamilton (2016) and George Russell (2024).
- Mercedes are the most successful team in Austria with seven victories.
- Hamilton and Verstappen also won the two Styrian GPs held at the same circuit during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
- The last three editions of the race have run as a sprint weekend but this year reverts to its traditional schedule.
2025 F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
- Full standings here>>>
McLaren's Oscar Piastri leads the drivers' championship by 22 points from teammate Lando Norris. Verstappen is 43 points behind Piastri. - Leaders and champions McLaren are 175 points clear of Mercedes, with Ferrari a further 16 adrift.
- Piastri has won five of 10 races this season, Verstappen and Norris two each and Russell one.
- Seven-times world champion Hamilton has a record 105 career victories from 366 starts. Verstappen has won 65 grands prix and is third on the all-time list after Schumacher on 91.
- Piastri has seven career wins to Norris's six and can become the first Australian to win six in a season.
- Piastri has been on pole four times this season, Verstappen three, Norris twice and Russell once.
- Norris has started on the front row in five of 10.
- Both McLaren drivers have finished on the podium eight times in 2025 but Piastri's run of eight in a row ended in Canada two weeks ago.
- Charles Leclerc's second place in Monaco was Ferrari's best of the season so far.
- Only Piastri and Verstappen have scored in every race this season, with Norris' run ending after a late collision with his teammate in Canada.
- Piastri has scored for 36 races in a row.
- Two rookies have yet to score -- Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine's Franco Colapinto.
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