Lando Norris secures pole at Austrian GP but admits errors still linger

Lando Norris Secures Pole Position at Austrian Grand Prix

McLaren’s Lando Norris delivered a stellar performance at the Austrian Grand Prix, clinching pole position with a commanding lap that left Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc trailing by 0.521 seconds in second place. Teammate and championship rival Oscar Piastri settled for third after yellow flags disrupted his final Q3 attempt. Despite the triumph on Saturday, Norris remained measured, reflecting on the inconsistencies that have plagued his season.

“Nice to see the old me back every now and then, huh?” Norris quipped over team radio after securing his third pole of the season. “Well done, the car was pretty damn beautiful.”

A Focus on Consistency

While the result showcased progress, Norris was quick to stress the importance of maintaining consistency across the remainder of his title campaign. The 23-year-old Briton has been battling to move past costly mistakes earlier in the season, including errors in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Canada, the latter of which saw him crash into Piastri, retire, and lose further ground in the championship standings.

“I mean, it’s very satisfying, but, again, it’s about consistency,” Norris said following his qualifying heroics. “Everyone can be a hero in one weekend. It’s progress. It’s steps forward. I’m very happy with today, but it’s still a long journey. It’s a long season.

“The job I needed to do today, I did. And it doesn’t make up for the last few weekends or anything, but I did it today, and that’s what mattered. So, yeah, very satisfied and happy for putting it together when I needed to.”

Norris described his lap as his best of the season from a delivery standpoint, surpassing even his Monaco pole lap in terms of execution.

“On the whole, it was easily my best qualifying of the year from a delivery point of view from every single lap I did,” Norris said. “I still made a couple of mistakes here and there, but none that cost me a lap or anything, just maybe a tenth here or half a tenth there.

“So, I think on deliveries, consistency, and of course putting it in when it counts in Q3, it was easily the best lap I’ve done for this whole season, probably even better than Monaco, honestly. Maybe not as exciting a lap as Monaco, but definitely a better put-together lap than I did there.”

Impact of McLaren’s Upgrades

McLaren debuted a significant upgrade package in Austria, including a new front wing and revised suspension fairings, which appear to have contributed to Norris’ improved confidence behind the wheel. A mechanical suspension tweak introduced in Canada further addressed Norris’ complaints about reduced feel from the front of the car.

“Some of that is small things that have allowed me to get that out of the car from the changes within the car,” Norris explained. “Whether that’s the upgrades or not, it’s always very difficult to tell still, but it was definitely the most confident and comfortable I’ve been in terms of getting lap time out of the car and understanding that.

“It shows that the feelings I’ve been requiring—and not been getting as easily—are more my way. When they are more where I want them to be, I can put in better performances and have days like today.”

Still, Norris emphasized the need for sustainability over the long term. “This is one weekend. I’ve got to do it for another, what, 12 or 13 or something,” he concluded.

Oscar Piastri Reflects on Qualifying Challenges

Oscar Piastri lamented his disrupted qualifying session, as a late spin from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly denied him the chance to challenge Norris for pole. However, the championship leader acknowledged that his teammate was the fastest driver on the day.

“I think through all of qualifying, I was missing that last tenth, but not getting the chance to do my final Q3 run was quite frustrating,” Piastri shared after securing third on the grid. “Sometimes those things are going to happen. I was quite happy that I didn’t lose more spots by not doing that.

“So, third’s still an okay place to start around here. You can race around this track, so try and make some progress.

“It’s very difficult around here to get that perfect lap because there’s a lot of corners with gravel on the exit, and you’ve got to be pretty careful there. But there’s also a lot of corners where, if you miss an apex by five centimeters one way or the other, you’ve lost a couple of tenths easily.

“So, it’s not the easiest track to hook up—even though it’s short—and I just kind of felt like I didn’t quite do that today. So, a bit of a shame.”

Optimism Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix

Both McLaren drivers head into Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix with optimism, though Norris will hope to convert his pole into victory while continuing to rebuild his title bid. For Piastri, it’s a chance to further his championship lead and capitalize on what could be an exciting duel between teammates.

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