McLaren told to be ‘worried’ despite Lando Norris topping Austrian Grand Prix practice

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Alex Dunne replaced Lando Norris for FP1 at the 2025 F1 Austrian Grand Prix, yet the McLaren ace did not let it stop him from posting the fastest lap time in FP2 on Friday.

The travelling circus of Formula 1 has pitched its tents at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. But some teams even took the first Austrian GP practice session as a chance to fulfil part of their obligatory rookie FP1 quotas in the 2025 F1 season, as McLaren replaced Norris with Dunne.

It was Dunne’s F1 weekend debut but the 19-year-old from Offaly, Ireland impressed, as the 2025 F2 championship leader set the fourth-fastest time. Karun Chandhok has told McLaren to loan Dunne to Cadillac in 2026, as well, having been just 0.069s slower than Oscar Piastri.

Piastri improved from P3 in FP1 to P2 in FP2, as the F1 drivers’ championship leader reduced his 1:05.697 to a 1:04.737. Yet Norris showed no ill effects from his time on the bench, as he flew straight to the top of the timesheet at the Austrian GP with a 1:04.580 in FP2 on Friday.

Max Verstappen will have ‘worried’ Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in FP2 at the Austrian GP

Norris is in need of a big result at the Red Bull Ring after falling 22 points behind Piastri after his crash in the Canadian Grand Prix last time out. McLaren saw Norris crash into the rear of Piastri’s car in Canada, as the 25-year-old misjudged an overtake on the 24-year-old for P4.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

Yet even with McLaren enjoying a one-two result in FP2 for the Austrian GP, Alice Powell has suggested that Red Bull rival Max Verstappen will have ‘worried’ Norris and Piastri by setting the third-best time. The 27-year-old’s 1:04.898 trailed the papaya pals by 0.318s and 0.161s.

Powell noted on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: “Max Verstappen’s time is enough to make the McLarens worried, I would say, depending on what they’re running, of course.

“But a good lap from Max. You could see he was maximising as much as he could because he was running right up to the edge of the gravel, almost dipping a wheel through Turn 9.”

Max Verstappen is one penalty point at the Austrian GP from a race ban for the British GP

The Red Bull Ring has proven to be Verstappen’s playground in recent years, having won the Austrian GP in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023 plus the Styrian Grand Prix there in 2021. He was also in the fight for victory until Verstappen crashed into Norris during the 2024 Austrian GP.

Norris will now hope to avoid any collisions during the 2025 Austrian GP after registering his first retirement of the 2025 F1 season after crashing into Piastri during the Canadian GP. Red Bull will also hope Verstappen avoids any issues throughout the weekend at their own track.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Verstappen is one penalty point away from a race ban, which would see him miss the British Grand Prix on July 4-6. But Red Bull will see the four-time reigning champion lose the two of his 11 penalty points that Verstappen drew for hitting Norris in Austria last term on June 30.

Red Bull and McLaren have also introduced updates in Spielberg, but Ferrari’s floor upgrade at the Austrian GP is the biggest new package of any team. While Red Bull have a new floor edge on the RB21, Ferrari have changed their floor edge, fences and body plus rear diffuser.