Lando Norris wasn’t thrilled with being four-tenths slower than Max Verstappen in Austrian Grand Prix qualifying.
After losing the sprint race lead to Verstappen, Norris had to accept second place for Sunday’s race.
Norris Admits McLaren Couldn’t Match Verstappen
In the post-qualifying press conference, Norris acknowledged that his car struggled to keep up with Verstappen’s pace.
“It was okay but not great,” he said. “Conditions were trickier today compared to yesterday, closer to Mercedes and Ferraris but still far from Max. I could’ve shaved off a couple of tenths with a perfect lap, but it wouldn’t have been enough to catch him. Red Bull improved a lot from yesterday.”
Norris missed winning opportunities in Canada and Spain, and tomorrow might be another tough day against Verstappen. Yet, he’s happy being the closest challenger in qualifying.
“P2 is still good,” he said. “We made some small changes and did our best all weekend. Maybe others improved more, but we took a step forward too. Just some things made it harder for us.”
Fans might think it’s frustrating seeing Norris so close yet so far from victory.
Looking ahead to the race at Red Bull Ring, Norris remains hopeful despite knowing what went wrong today.
“Tomorrow could be different,” he noted. “Max’s pace advantage will likely continue, but conditions will be warm again which has been good for us lately in races.”
What do you think? Will Norris surprise everyone tomorrow?
