Five 2025 Austrian GP drivers to watch, including Max Verstappen’s penalty points situation and ‘Meteoric’ FP1 rookie

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There are plenty of storylines to watch at the Austrian Grand Prix, following a controversial end to the race in Canada two weeks out.

The dramatic collision between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris has led to questions over whether McLaren can keep their drivers in order, as any further clashes could have an effect on the points standings.

The team was lucky that only Norris retired from the race after the collision, while the British driver was keen to move on by owning up to his mistake instantly over team radio.

Piastri does not think this will impact their ability to race, but the Briton will need to bounce back to avoid losing ground to the Australian in the title race.

Amid the two McLarens battling it out, there are also a number of other drivers who are worth following at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.

1. Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen must complete one more event before he has at least two points on his superlicence wiped to set him back to eight in a twelve-month period.

The Dutchman is currently on 11 penalty points, and while he has a good track record of winning in Austria, he also has a history of controversies.

Last year, Verstappen’s driving came under scrutiny when he collided with Lando Norris, while the Dutchman also clashed with Charles Leclerc controversially. Will the same thing happen this year?

2. Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton’s first 10 races with Ferrari have been up and down, with the low point being at the recent Spanish GP where the Briton proclaimed he had the worst balance ever in an F1 car.

It is the first time in Hamilton’s career that he has gone 10 races without standing on the podium, something he’s not really experienced since 2009.

Is the current Ferrari as much of a fixer-upper as their 09′ McLaren? The floor and planned suspension upgrades should provide some indication over whether Ferrari can save their season.

3. Nico Hulkenberg

Sauber made a breakthrough at the Spanish GP with their car upgrades, after Nico Hulkenberg achieved a fifth place on merit for the team and finished ahead of Hamilton.

The German was quick to point out that the race in Spain was a fluke, but that points-scoring form continued in Canada with an eighth place finish.

The effect of Jonathan Wheatley has clearly made an impact since he joined the team, with Sauber regularly topping the list in quickest pit stops ahead of pit stop kings Red Bull.

Sauber has now propelled itself right in the Constructors’ battle for sixth place, and with Gabriel Bortoleto improving, the pair could score a decent amount of points in the European rounds.

4. Dino Beganovic

One of the future stars currently tied to the Ferrari Driver Academy, the likes of which Oliver Bearman and Charles Leclerc came through, Dino Beganovic takes over from Charles Leclerc in FP1.

Beganovic currently competes in F2 with Hitech and has scored two podiums so far this year, with him sitting 10th in the Drivers’ standings.

It is the second outing for Beganovic after he finished 14th fastest in Bahrain earlier this year, posting lap times that were not far off Hamilton’s.

5. Alex Dunne

Alex Dunne is seen as a potential talent for the future in the McLaren Young Driver Academy, having put together a decent F2 season so far.

Damon Hill said Dunne’s rise through the ranks was ‘meteoric’ in a post on social media, having been impressed by his results in the feeder categories.

Although his outing at Monaco was scrappy after causing a collision in qualifying and then crashing out at Sainte Devote from pole in the Feature Race, he’s still leading the championship.

A first outing at McLaren, replacing Lando Norris, should give him some confidence for the rest of the season and the team a benchmark for whether he is worth promoting in the future.