Lando Norris delivered a convincing performance at the Red Bull Ring, securing pole position with an impressive lap. McLaren’s team boss, Andrea Stella, praised his driver and the work of the entire team: “I’m proud of Lando Norris. It wasn’t just any pole, but a dominant one, a particularly strong lap.”
Stella emphasizes that Norris’s form had been evident for some time, even if it didn’t always translate into results. “We saw it even in Canada. In the data, in the conversations with Lando and his engineers: the speed was there,” he tells Sky Sports. “During qualifying there, he lightly hit the wall, but he was on his way to pole. And in the race, he was one of, if not the fastest driver on the track.” According to Stella, the difference was in the details. “We just needed to refine the execution. Small adjustments here and there, and today everything came together.”
While McLaren is in a celebratory mood, there was slight disappointment over the qualification of Oscar Piastri. The Australian couldn’t complete his final fast attempt due to a yellow flag. He starts the GP in third place, behind colleague Norris and Charles Leclerc. “It’s a shame that Oscar couldn’t make a run for pole, as he was also in a good position,” says Stella. “Thanks to the upgrades, the car is clearly faster. The data is promising. These kinds of performances make us as a team tighter and stronger. You saw that today in the attitude of both drivers. Now we need to capitalize on that in the race tomorrow.”
