IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix

Fresh from the mid-summer visit to North America, it’s back to Europe for the next few months, starting with a double-header.

After the drama of the closing stages in Canada, the next stop is another venue that has provided plenty of action in recent years as we head for the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Can Mercedes repeat in more ways than one?

Mercedes arrives in Austria off the back of their best weekend of the year so far, with George Russell winning from pole position in Montreal and Kimi Antonelli picking up his first podium in third place.

A year ago, Mercedes had also been extremely competitive in Canada but failed to win, and then had a tougher time of things at the Red Bull Ring. Despite that, they ended up with a victory as Russell took advantage of the late contact between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, as the team went on a particularly strong mid-season run.

Given the form that they showed last time out, could Mercedes be in the mix at the front once again?

If they are to do so, they may need a bit of help from the weather forecast, that shows a cool and potentially damp start to the race weekend, but higher temperatures coming into play by the time Qualifying and the race take place.

Norris responding after his Canada error

The Canadian Grand Prix was a rare off-weekend for McLaren, who were still extremely competitive but failed to qualify on the front row or finish with a car on the podium. That marked the first time this season that either of those milestones had been missed, but they were fighting for third place when their two cars came together late on.

Lando Norris took full responsibility for the contact with Oscar Piastri, that ended Norris’ race but did not prevent his team mate from going on to finish fourth.

It was a tough moment for Norris, but his response helped defuse a potentially more significant situation for Team Principal Andrea Stella to handle. And he quickly stated he would look to learn from his mistake and move on.

There can be few better places for Norris to try and bounce back, as the Red Bull Ring was the scene of his first podium in Formula 1 back in 2020, a performance he repeated in 2021. He was trying to overtake Verstappen for victory here a year ago when the pair collided, so it has often been a strong venue for Norris, who needs to outscore Piastri or risk falling more than a race win behind the championship leader.

The final nervous weekend for Verstappen fans

It really does feel like it is Max Verstappen’s fanbase who are more worried about a race suspension than the reigning World Champion himself, who was very quick to show his displeasure at repeated questions relating to his penalty points situation in Montreal.

Verstappen is just one penalty point away from what would be an automatic one-race ban, meaning he cannot afford to be the guilty party in any incidents this weekend.

After the next race, two penalty points drop off his licence having been earned 12 months ago – in the collision with Norris in last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, that took place on June 30 – meaning Verstappen will have that little bit more breathing room, but he will remain on nine points until late October.

Verstappen showed the situation was having no impact on his driving during the Canadian weekend as he qualified on the front row and finished second despite coming under pressure at different points, but what is often a large Dutch contingent at the Red Bull Ring will likely breathe out a little once this weekend is safely navigated, too.

The F1 movie hits the screens

You might have noticed just a little bit of excitement and hype around the upcoming movie ‘F1’, that was often filmed during race weekends and features real footage of actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris driving at speed on track.

Following the spectacular world premiere that was held in New York City at the start of last week, it is very nearly your turn to get to see the end product, with the film having a release date of June 25th – although a number of other countries including the United States have to wait that little bit longer until Friday, June 27th.

Featuring cameos from plenty of your favourite drivers and team bosses too, it’s a spectacular offering from Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski and legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and with plenty of input from Lewis Hamilton as well it aims to be the most authentic racing movie ever made.

James Vowles’ new deal

There might have been a lot of focus on the F1 movie premiere last week, but there was also a very significant piece of business that was concluded by one of the teams.

Williams announced that Team Principal James Vowles has signed a new long-term contract to remain in his position, having held the role for two and a half years so far.

Over that time, Williams have already shown signs of clear progress, and currently sit fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with 55 points – more than the entire total from the past three seasons combined. They have also made a number of key hires, including adding Carlos Sainz to this year’s driver line-up alongside Alex Albon, who has enjoyed an extremely impressive 2025 so far.

Vowles says Williams have put the foundations in place for future success, and they certainly appear well-placed to continue their momentum into the new era that starts in 2026. But there is still a lot of work to be done to turn the team into true contenders for race victories and championships on a regular basis, with just one podium in the past eight years.

Securing a long-term commitment from Vowles is a sign of the belief in the direction that Williams are heading from both the Team Principal himself but also their owners Dorilton Capital. It’ll be a boost for the entire team, as they look to continue their best start to a season since 2016.