Lando Norris storms to Austrian F1 GP pole as angry Verstappen slumps to seventh

Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix by half a second at the Red Bull Ring, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc into second and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to third.

It was the perfect comeback for the British driver after his disappointment at having to retire when he crashed into Piastri at the last round in Canada. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was struggling for grip and finished in seventh. Lewis Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari and George Russell fifth for Mercedes.

For Norris this was just the result he required after his title hopes took a battering when he made the misjudged move against Piastri in Montreal, dropping him to 22 points behind the Australian.

At the Red Bull Ring this weekend Norris has insisted his error in Canada resulted in a positive outcome, that he and the team emerged stronger now the seemingly unavoidable clash had finally happened. That is credible but it is inescapable that misjudgments like that in Canada could cost him the title. For all the psychological compartmentalising and rationalisations, that must weigh heavy.

McLaren’s Lando Norris on his way to pole position, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Photograph: Dénes Erdős/AP

He said in Montreal he knew he had to make fewer errors, a theme he has returned to in Austria. “I’ve been making more mistakes and I’ve been behind,” he said. “That’s been clear. It’s very close between us and Oscar’s certainly been a bit more comfortable than I have this season, that’s the way it is and I’ve had to try to improve and step up more.” Certainly he did so in qualifying with a lap that was all but untouchable.

Notably the McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella, said the crash would have left Norris’s confidence bruised and that the team would rally round him. They are seeking to find a way to adjust the car to suit him and their upgrades this weekend to the front aero, rear aero and, crucially for Norris, the front suspension, to improve the feel he has for the front of the car, look to have paid off.

Certainly Norris looked comfortable in qualifying, which has been his achilles heel this season. In Austria, it all appeared to come together and he looked in complete control from the off.

Norris had dominated the first two qualifying sessions and while Piastri opened the running for the first hot laps in Q3, he managed only a tidy lap that was swiftly eclipsed by his teammate. Norris was quicker in all three sectors and over two-tenths up on the Australian on top of the time sheetsin 1min 04.268sec, while Verstappen struggled a six-tenths back in sixth.

For the final runs Russell improved, as did Leclerc, and Piastri knew he could do better but Norris once more looked confident. The British driver went quicker still through every sector with a lap of 1:03.971, half a second up on Leclerc, an absolute chasm. A late yellow flag when Pierre Gasly spun was costly for both Piastri and Verstappen, who both had to back off, with the Dutchman, struggling all afternoon, left almost a second back.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen struggled during qualifying. Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/Reuters

An unhappy Verstappen described his car as so lacking in grip in every type of corner that it was “completely undriveable”. The Dutchman will be dissatisfied by the result, especially after Red Bull brought what is likely to be their last major upgrade of the season to the race with a revision to the floor of the car it was hoped would help address the balance problems that have plagued it all year.

All of which will also fuel further speculation about the Dutchman’s future, which has already dominated this weekend, when the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, confirmed that he was once more interested in persuading the world champion to leave Red Bull and join his team.

The second session was red-flagged for 10 minutes when, as had occurred in Japan earlier this season, trackside grass caught fire, ignited by the sparks from the titanium skid blocks beneath the cars.