Lando Norris had to settle for third in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint after initially challenging for victory. In the end, his pursuit of Max Verstappen cost him a spot to teammate Oscar Piastri.
Norris qualified on the front row alongside Verstappen, having lapped just under a tenth slower in SQ3. They held position at the start, and as the race settled, the Briton began to close the gap.
The DRS was particularly powerful at the Red Bull Ring given that there are three zones across one of the shortest laps on the calendar. That allowed Norris to put Verstappen under concerted pressure.
After threatening to make a move multiple times, the McLaren driver steamed down the inside at turn three on lap five. However, Verstappen forced his way back past at the very next corner.
In the process, he nudged Norris off line, opening the door for Piastri. The Australian was then able to executive a fine move around the outside of turn six.
Piastri briefly mounted his own challenge against Verstappen before losing ground. Norris tried to take second place back in the closing stages with the benefit of DRS but couldn’t get close enough to do so.
Martin Brundle stunned by Lando Norris ‘lunge’ on Max Verstappen
Speaking during commentary for Sky Sports F1, pundit Martin Brundle applauded a ‘brilliant’ move from Norris. He didn’t see it coming, and nor did Verstappen.
The Sprint in Spielberg marked the latest chapter in the rivalry between the two drivers. Norris wasn’t able to compete with the Dutchman in 2023, the most one-sided season in F1 history, but that has changed this year.
McLaren’s recent upgrades have arguably given them the strongest all-round package on the grid. Norris has finished runner-up behind Verstappen at three of the last four races, and rued costly errors in Canada and Spain.
Here, the reigning world champion was just about able to ‘survive’ an unexpected attack. From that point onwards, he asserted himself and gradually built a commanding lead.
“Right now, having survived that brilliant lunge from Norris that was a real surprise out of the blue, Verstappen’s got it back under control,” Brundle said.
McLaren want to see Norris personality change
Norris has refused to rule out challenging Verstappen for the world championship this year. He’s almost a match for the 26-year-old right now, but the ground he lost early in the season could be costly.
Verstappen took uncontested victories in four of the first five races before McLaren wiped out the gap with their upgrades. After Saturday’s Sprint, he finds himself 71 points behind in the championship.
Andrea Stella and co. are hoping to see a change in his mentality. They want him to become a more ‘confident’ driver and stop ‘beating himself up’.
Jolyon Palmer believes that ‘perfection’ is required from Norris and McLaren if they’re to beat Verstappen. The Red Bull superstar has raised standards beyond what’s ‘normal’, and his rivals will have to meet them.
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