Lando Norris expressed a sense of reassurance following his commanding pole position in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, describing the performance as a comeback of his “old self”.
After a series of less impressive qualifying sessions, Norris secured the top spot ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri with a remarkable margin exceeding half a second on the Red Bull Ring, one of F1`s shortest circuits. This represented the largest qualifying gap witnessed so far this season.
A visibly thrilled Norris commented over the team radio after securing his third pole of the year: “Nice to see the old me back every now and then, huh!”
Having retired from the previous race in Canada following contact with his teammate Piastri, Norris now has an excellent opportunity to reduce the 22-point deficit he faces in the Drivers` Championship standings.
He explained that the feeling experienced during qualifying was something he had missed for a considerable time.
This refers to the connection felt with the car, understanding its grip limits, and knowing how to extract maximum performance.
Norris stated that this improved feeling directly translated into better performance and lap times, which is the ultimate satisfaction for a driver – recognizing the potential for more speed and then successfully achieving it.
McLaren introduced a revised floor package in Austria, which appears to be benefiting Norris, who had previously indicated he didn`t find this year`s car as enjoyable to drive as the previous season`s.
He credited the team`s hard work, including his extensive efforts in the simulator and collaboration with engineers, towards better understanding the car. He believes these efforts are steering them in the correct direction.
Norris found the progress made this weekend, particularly moving in the right direction, to be very positive and reassuring for both himself and the entire team, expressing his gratitude to them.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella Praises Performance
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella voiced his immense pride in Norris`s qualifying performance. He noted Norris`s recent qualifying struggles, where his pace improvement from Q2 to Q3 (averaging 0.249s) lagged behind competitors like Piastri, Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc.
Stella highlighted that even in Canada, Norris possessed underlying speed, being on course for pole before an incident in qualifying and demonstrating strong race pace. He emphasized that they merely needed to refine the execution.
Stella described Norris`s pole position not just as a pole, but a “dominant” one achieved with a “pretty remarkable lap time.” He also expressed disappointment that Oscar Piastri couldn`t challenge for pole due to a yellow flag caused by Pierre Gasly`s spin on the final lap.
Canada marked McLaren`s most challenging weekend of 2025, where they missed the front row and the podium, concluding with the collision between their drivers.
Stella commended the team`s resilience and their approach to learning from setbacks, emphasizing McLaren`s strong culture of using every challenge to grow and become more united.
He noted that this positive and collaborative mindset was evident in the drivers` reactions.
Stella also praised the team`s work on the car upgrades, acknowledging that they have made the car faster. He found the data collected highly encouraging and stressed the importance of capitalizing on this performance in the upcoming race.
Oscar Piastri Aims for Strong Race Performance
Oscar Piastri commented that he likely would have started on the front row had he been able to complete his final attempt in Q3. Both he and Max Verstappen had to abandon their last laps due to the yellow flags caused by Pierre Gasly`s spin.
Should Piastri manage to overtake Leclerc early in the race, he intends to challenge Norris for the victory on a circuit that presents several overtaking opportunities.
Piastri acknowledged that McLaren`s pace looked very strong this weekend, noting Ferrari`s unexpectedly good pace as well, but maintained that his team still has opportunities.
He stated clearly: “I`m not planning on finishing third, that`s for sure.”
McLaren`s race pace in practice sessions matched Verstappen`s this weekend, but the Red Bull driver starts further back in seventh, likely reducing his immediate threat.
Norris expressed confidence starting from the best possible position. He felt the car was competitive from his initial laps in FP2 and that he was confident and comfortable behind the wheel.
He highlighted that the upgrades introduced this weekend are the first significant package for the entire season and appear to be effective, especially on a short track like this.
Despite the positive signs, Norris remained aware that it`s a long race and many unpredictable events could occur.
