McLaren driver Lando Norris expressed significant relief and confidence after his qualifying performance at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he secured a dominant pole position. He remarked that the `old me` had returned.
After a series of less impressive qualifying sessions, Norris significantly outpaced Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri to claim pole at the Red Bull Ring, one of the shortest circuits on the F1 calendar. His qualifying margin of over half a second was the largest seen this season, indicating a strong return to top form.
An elated Norris commented on the radio after achieving his third pole of the season:
Nice to see the old me back every now and then, huh!
Norris retired from the previous race in Canada after an incident with his teammate Piastri. His pole position in Austria provides a perfect opportunity to gain ground in the Drivers` Championship, where he currently trails by 22 points.
Speaking after qualifying, Norris reflected on his feeling behind the wheel:
The feeling I had today was the feeling I have missed for quite a long time. The feeling I had behind the wheel, with the car, the understanding of where the grip is and how to exploit it. That showed in performance and in lap time, which is a very good combination to have. That when you feel like yeah, I can go quicker here and I can do that and you go out and do it, that`s the best feeling a driver can ask for really.
McLaren introduced a revised floor package in Austria, which appears to suit Norris, who has previously stated he didn`t enjoy the feeling of this year`s car as much as last season`s machine.
He added:
The team have been working very hard. I have been working a lot in the simulator, with my team with my engineers, with many people to try and understand these things and we think it is in the right direction. So come to this weekend and at least move in the right direction is very positive and very reassuring for myself most of all, but probably for us as a team as well, so thanks to them.
Stella `Proud` of Norris`s Performance
Prior to Austria, Norris`s pace gain from Q2 to Q3 had been less significant compared to competitors like Piastri, Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc. While he visibly struggled with overdriving in qualifying sessions in Bahrain, Spain, and Canada, he executed a flawless session in Austria, which McLaren team principal Andrea Stella hailed as “really proud”.
Stella noted the speed was always present, even during challenging weekends:
Even in Canada, after reviewing the weekend with Lando and his engineers, we always said the speed was there. When he had the little contact with the wall in qualifying, he was on track for a pole position. And in the race, he was one of the fastest, if not the fastest car, in the race. The speed was always there. We needed to polish the execution. We made little adjustments here and there. Not only did he score a pole position, but it`s a dominant pole position, a pretty remarkable lap time. It`s a bit of a shame that we couldn`t see Oscar contending the pole position because of the yellow flag that prevented him from having a final attempt.
McLaren did not secure a front-row start or a podium finish in Canada, marking their most challenging weekend of 2025.
Stella praised the team`s ability to recover from that setback, particularly following the collision between Norris and Piastri.
We have a very strong point at McLaren that we are very prepared from a cultural, attitudinal point of view, to use every opportunity to become stronger and even more united. This was the tone, the content of the conversations. I think this has been realised, you can see from what our drivers said. Let me praise the work of everyone at McLaren for the upgrades. This has made the car faster. We are very encouraged by the data that we saw. A lot of positives to take away, and we need to capitalise in the race.
Piastri: `I`m Not Planning on Finishing Third`
Oscar Piastri believes he could have challenged for a front-row start himself had he been able to complete his final Q3 lap. Both he and Max Verstappen had to abandon their attempts due to yellow flags caused by Pierre Gasly`s spin.
Should Piastri manage to overtake Charles Leclerc early in the race, he intends to challenge Norris for the win on a circuit known for offering overtaking opportunities.
Piastri commented on the team`s prospects:
I think our pace this weekend has looked very strong. I think the Ferrari pace looked good as well, which was a bit of a surprise, but I think we still got some opportunities. I`m not planning on finishing third, that`s for sure.
McLaren`s race pace in practice has reportedly been matched only by Max Verstappen this weekend. However, with Verstappen starting down in seventh place, he is less likely to pose an immediate threat at the front.
Norris concluded:
I`m starting in the best position. We`ve been good since the first laps I did in FP2. We`ve been competitive, and I`ve been feeling confident and comfortable in the car. We`ve had some upgrades on the car this weekend, which is our first proper set of upgrades for the whole season. So, we`ve waited a good amount of time to apply them, and from what I see today, it looks like it`s definitely moved us in the right direction – especially on a circuit where there`s only eight corners really. I`m confident we can still have a good race, but it`s a long one and plenty of things can happen.
