Formula 1 Today: McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri Eye Fight Against Max Verstappen in Austrian Grand Prix Sprint
In a thrilling qualifying session on Friday, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured second and third places, respectively, behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who took pole position for Saturday’s Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix Sprint race. Verstappen out-qualified Norris by a mere 0.098s, with Piastri trailing by three-tenths in the second McLaren challenger.
Piastri’s Improvement and Room for Growth
Piastri, who struggled with an “unnatural” feeling in his MCL38 during the Barcelona Grand Prix, showed significant improvement on Friday. However, he acknowledged that there is still room for growth, citing errors on his final run in SQ3. “The position is quite good obviously, but the last lap there were a couple of corners I could have tidied up,” Piastri said. “No, I think it’s nice to at least know where the time is. Obviously, a bit of a rough one last weekend, so I feel like we’re back on the pace.”
When asked if he can push forward on Saturday morning, Piastri expressed confidence, stating, “The gap to Max is not massive, and I know there were a couple of big mistakes on that lap. I think we’re definitely in the mix.”
Norris’ Close Match with Verstappen
Meanwhile, Norris was narrowly beaten to Sprint Pole by Verstappen, finishing just 0.098s behind the reigning champion. The Briton has been Verstappen’s closest match since claiming his maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix win at Miami in May. Despite being pipped to the top spot, Norris remained optimistic, saying, “I think reasonably good to be honest. I never got quite comfortable until my final lap, so I’m happy with that. Close as it has been all year, so no difference, but yeah, it must have been a nice lap by Max.”
Like Piastri, Norris is confident that he can take the fight to Verstappen during Saturday morning’s Sprint race. “From what we see at the minute, yes, but otherwise, I’m not sure,” he replied.
As the lights prepare to go out for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix Sprint at 12:00 local time, the battle between Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri is set to intensify. With the Formula 1 standings on the line, will McLaren be able to dethrone Red Bull’s dominant force? Stay tuned for an action-packed Saturday morning of racing.
🔗 Source