Oscar Piastri fumes as Pierre Gasly sparks yellow flag, Lando Norris takes Montreal pole
A dominant Lando Norris has delivered the perfect response to his Montreal horror show by securing an emphatic pole position for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix.
Australia's Oscar Piastri, the world championship leader, was forced to settle for third place, behind his McLaren teammate and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, admitting afterwards: 'Sometimes it's just not your day.'
Norris's world championship bid was dealt a major setback a fortnight ago when he ran into the back of Piastri.
But the British driver has been in excellent form at the Red Bull Ring, topping all of the practice sessions he has competed in, before landing the 12th pole of his career.
Norris's margin over Leclerc was a huge 0.521 seconds — the biggest of the year so far at the shortest track on the calendar.
Piastri, who leads Norris by 22 points in the title standings, was 0.583 sec behind his team-mate with Lewis Hamilton fourth.
Piastri was unable to complete his final lap in Q3 after Alpine's Pierre Gasly spun ahead of him, causing a yellow flag which meant drivers behind had to slow down.
'Lando's been very quick all weekend so it would have been a tough challenge, but I think we easily had enough pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row,' Piastri said.
'Always a shame when you don't even get the chance, but we can still have a good race from there. Sometimes it's just not your day.'
Speaking over the radio to his team at the time of the incident, Piatrsi couldn't hide his frustration.
'Oh mate, I don't have time for another lap, do I? F*** me, man. Jesus Christ,' he said.
Norris admitted he made a fool of himself when he collided with Piastri in Montreal, and was warned of 'tough conversations' by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
However he has been in a class of one so far here, and he will start the 11th round of this 24-race season as the favourite to claim a win which could serve as a springboard to get his title charge back on track a week out from his home event at Silverstone.
Norris' first lap in Q3 placed him two tenths faster than anyone else, and he then pulled out more than half-a-second with his next lap.
'It was a good lap, that's for sure,' said Norris. 'I feel like my first lap in Q3 was good but I knew I could get more time and I did exactly that. I did what I planned to do and when I do that and it goes right it is usually very good.'
After landing his first win of the season last time out in Canada, George Russell ended up in fifth, but Max Verstappen could manage only seventh after he complained that his Red Bull was 'undriveable'.
Verstappen is 43 points off the championship pace and faces the prospect of losing further ground following a disappointing qualifying session at a venue he has so often ruled.
'The car is completely undriveable,' he said over the radio after finishing nearly a second behind Norris. 'It is even worse than before. I don't even know what to say.'
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