The race pace seen in Austria crushes any hope for the competition: McLaren confirms itself as untouchable, just as it has been since the start of the season, while Ferrari begins its pursuit.
The Austrian Grand Prix left little doubt about the current pecking order among the teams, even if the scenario wasn’t exactly the same as in Canada. Race pace data confirmed McLaren’s dominance, and closing the gap will be a monumental challenge for all other contenders.
Max Verstappen’s retirement raises questions about Red Bull’s true pace at its home track, but it’s likely that the RB21 would have still secured the position of second or third fastest car, ahead of a disappointing Mercedes.
What’s certain is that Ferrari has taken a step forward, as proven by the race pace data. Thanks in part to its latest upgrade package, the SF-25 confirmed its status as the clear second-best car, with both drivers showing that the car has improved.
The race told the full story, and telemetry data confirmed what was visible on track: McLaren was operating on a different level, and even the internal battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri wasn’t enough to give Charles Leclerc a chance to close in. McLaren’s race pace was unbeatable in every aspect—lap time, consistency, and temperature management. The MCL39 suffered no degradation or cooling issues, further proving its superiority since the beginning of the season.
Ferrari improving, but much work remains
Behind the two McLarens, Ferrari maximized its result, proving to be the best of the rest, with Verstappen out of the picture from the start. However, the SF-25’s race pace still appeared significantly less competitive than McLaren’s, although it was stronger than that of other rivals.
A promising sign came from Charles Leclerc during his second stint on hard tires, where his lap times were nearly identical to those of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Even so, average lap data still showed a meaningful gap: around three-tenths per lap between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, and nearly five tenths separating Hamilton from Lando Norris.
The red team is clearly making progress, but problems remain with brake cooling and plank wear. The frequent lift and coast required by the drivers severely impacted performance, forcing them to ease off the throttle well in advance of nearly every corner.
Mercedes disappoints, Sauber surprises
The biggest disappointment of the weekend was George Russell’s Mercedes. The W15 failed to deliver any real performance, and the dominant showing in Canada now appears to be the result of a very narrow operating window. The Brackley car couldn’t replicate the same weather conditions or benefit from a favorable layout, struggling visibly on the fast Red Bull Ring circuit. At times, the car was a full second per lap slower than Norris. After a crushing win in Canada, finishing 60 seconds behind the leader is anything but encouraging. These wild swings in performance do not bode well for the rest of the season.
On the flip side, Sauber delivered a surprisingly strong performance, with race pace comparable to that of Mercedes—a major step forward given the team’s early-season struggles.
The Austrian weekend didn’t hold many surprises: both championships seem increasingly to be an internal McLaren affair, and closing the gap looks nearly impossible for the chasers. As the 2025 season approaches its halfway point, teams are already shifting focus to 2026. In the meantime, it will be crucial for them to bring short-term upgrades that are as effective and efficient as possible.
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