Norris takes pole position for Austrian GP with mighty lap
Agencies
Spielberg (Austria)
Lando Norris of McLaren had a mighty lap in qualifying to take pole position for the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday.
The British driver was already in a good position after his first flying lap in Q3, but he improved to clock 1 minute 3.971 seconds - over half a second ahead of second-placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.
Championship leader Oscar Pistri completed the top three in the other McLaren.
Norris is aiming to bounce back from a catastrophic Canadian GP two weeks ago. He collided with Piastri with three laps left to the end of the race, with Norris braking too late and running into the back of his team-mate.
While Piastri finished the race in fourth, Norris couldn't cross the finish line and missed some crucial points. He currently sits 22 points behind Piastri in the standings.
Four-time defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull was only seventh after complaining of lack of grip throughout the session.
The red flag came out with some six minutes left in Q2 due to a small grass fire near the track. The same incident also caused interruptions at the Japanese GP in April.
'It was a good lap, that's for sure,' said Norris. 'I guess that just little bit by little bit, I was able to get more time. Q1 was good, but I knew there were a few places I could get more time and I did what I planned to do.'
Verstappen had taken pole position at the Red Bull-owned circuit in the Styrian Alps for the last five F1 races before Norris succeeded and seized his first pole in Austria, his third of the season and 12th of his career.
Team-mate Piastri was disappointed and frustrated.
'I had (Pierre) Gasly spin at the first corner so I didn't even open my second lap. Lando's been very quick all weekend so it would have been a tough challenge, but we had the pace to be on the front row.
'We can still have a good race from there and we are not here to come home third.'
Verstappen's last lap was stymied by a yellow flag waved when Gasly spun in his Alpine, leaving him, like Piastri, unable to clock a flying lap time. He finished seventh.
Leclerc said: 'I'm very pleased. It's been a long time since we started on the front row and it's been a difficult season overall, but the team has kept pushing.
'We brought some new parts this weekend which for sure made a difference. We know we have a better car in the race than in qualifying so I hope we can put more pressure on the McLarens.'
Leclerc's Ferrari team-mate and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was an encouraging fourth ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, four-time champion Verstappen of Red Bull and Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber.
Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli was ninth in the second Mercedes and Gasly 10th.
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Norris takes pole position for Austrian GP with mighty lap
Agencies Spielberg (Austria) Lando Norris of McLaren had a mighty lap in qualifying to take pole position for the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday. The British driver was already in a good position after his first flying lap in Q3, but he improved to clock 1 minute 3.971 seconds - over half a second ahead of second-placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Championship leader Oscar Pistri completed the top three in the other McLaren. Norris is aiming to bounce back from a catastrophic Canadian GP two weeks ago. He collided with Piastri with three laps left to the end of the race, with Norris braking too late and running into the back of his team-mate. While Piastri finished the race in fourth, Norris couldn't cross the finish line and missed some crucial points. He currently sits 22 points behind Piastri in the standings. Four-time defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull was only seventh after complaining of lack of grip throughout the session. The red flag came out with some six minutes left in Q2 due to a small grass fire near the track. The same incident also caused interruptions at the Japanese GP in April. 'It was a good lap, that's for sure,' said Norris. 'I guess that just little bit by little bit, I was able to get more time. Q1 was good, but I knew there were a few places I could get more time and I did what I planned to do.' Verstappen had taken pole position at the Red Bull-owned circuit in the Styrian Alps for the last five F1 races before Norris succeeded and seized his first pole in Austria, his third of the season and 12th of his career. Team-mate Piastri was disappointed and frustrated. 'I had (Pierre) Gasly spin at the first corner so I didn't even open my second lap. Lando's been very quick all weekend so it would have been a tough challenge, but we had the pace to be on the front row. 'We can still have a good race from there and we are not here to come home third.' Verstappen's last lap was stymied by a yellow flag waved when Gasly spun in his Alpine, leaving him, like Piastri, unable to clock a flying lap time. He finished seventh. Leclerc said: 'I'm very pleased. It's been a long time since we started on the front row and it's been a difficult season overall, but the team has kept pushing. 'We brought some new parts this weekend which for sure made a difference. We know we have a better car in the race than in qualifying so I hope we can put more pressure on the McLarens.' Leclerc's Ferrari team-mate and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was an encouraging fourth ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, four-time champion Verstappen of Red Bull and Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber. Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli was ninth in the second Mercedes and Gasly 10th.
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