LANDO NORRIS won the battle of the McLarens to land a morale-boosting victory in Austria which breathes fresh life into his world championship charge.

Norris kept his nerve in a thrilling duel with Oscar Piastri to take his third triumph of the season, reducing the title deficit to his team-mate to 15 points from 22.

A fortnight after Norris ran into the back of Piastri in Canada, the two McLaren men came within centimetres of another collision on lap 20 of 70.

Piastri momentarily lost control of his car as he attempted a lunge at turn four, before he was warned not to attempt a similar move — a clear sign McLaren had called off the fight.

Norris took the chequered flag 2.7 seconds clear of Piastri, with Charles Leclerc finishing third. Lewis Hamilton was fourth with the seven-time world champion’s wait for a first podium in Ferrari colours extending to his home race at Silverstone next weekend.

Max Verstappen’s race lasted three corners after he was taken out by Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli. The first-lap retirement leaves him 61 points off the championship pace. George Russell took fifth for Mercedes.

Verstappen had called his car “undriveable” in qualifying on his way to taking a lowly seventh grid spot. And his torrid weekend was over on the first lap when Antonelli arrived like a torpedo at the third corner to T-bone the four-time world champion.

“I’m out, got hit, like crazy,” Verstappen said. “F****** idiots.” In the other Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda was penalised for crunching Franco Colapinto and would finish 16th and last. A desperate weekend for Red Bull at their home event.