“It’s nice to see my old self again” Norris Blasts Back with Blistering Pole in Austria – A voice filled with relief and rediscovered swagger crackled over the team radio at the Red Bull Ring. “Thanks, guys. It’s nice to see my old self again,’ said Lando Norris, barely out of breath after a qualifying lap that left onlookers speechless and McLaren beaming with pride. His time, good enough to claim pole position by a margin of over half a second, was a thunderous reminder that the Lando of 2021 and 2023 hadn’t gone anywhere. He’d just been waiting for the right machinery — and perhaps the right moment.
In the high-altitude surroundings of Spielberg, Norris delivered what he later called “definitely my best lap of the season”, putting his McLaren not just on pole, but in a different league to his rivals. The stopwatch told the story: 0.521 seconds clear of second place — a gap so rare in the era of hyper-close qualifying sessions that even seasoned pundits were left in awe.
Lando’s resurgence could not have occurred at a more symbolic location — on a track owned by Red Bull, and in a season in which he has been engaged in a tight points battle with the reigning champions, and more precisely with Max Verstappen.
A lap for the ages — and then some
Even former drivers were reaching for superlatives. ‘That’s a different category,’ declared Alex Wurz on ORF, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Five tenths… that was almost unheard of, even in Red Bull’s dominant days.’ Timo Glock was similarly astonished, calling it ‘a demonstration from Lando Norris’, and insisting that this was precisely the kind of performance needed to make a real championship statement.
Norris, as is his way, tried to play down the hype. He was quick to point out that his teammate and chief internal rival, Oscar Piastri, had his own Q3 effort disrupted by yellow flags from Pierre Gasly’s spin. “Oscar didn’t get a second lap in — otherwise he would have been second for sure,” said Norris.
However, even a slightly compromised Piastri was still nearly six-tenths adrift. No caveat can conceal that kind of defeat.
Even better than Monaco? Possibly. Cleaner? Definitely
Norris later reflected that the lap might not have had the sheer spectacle of his Monaco heroics, but in terms of execution, it was a masterpiece.
‘It was probably even better than Monaco. Maybe not quite as spectacular, but definitely cleaner and more precise,’ he said, proud of how he handled the challenging final sector at full tilt.
High-speed corners nine and ten, areas where McLaren was expected to fall behind Ferrari and Red Bull, instead became the Briton’s playground. “When it all comes together like that… it’s a really nice feeling,” he beamed.
That sensation, he added, wasn’t just about the stopwatch. ‘If I have the feeling I had today — the one I had last year and the year before — then I think I’m the fastest.’
It’s a bold claim, but based on his performance in Spielberg, it’s hard to argue against.
The Real Fight: Not Just One Lap, but Every Lap
Despite the euphoria, Norris was quick to pivot to what he believes really matters: consistency.
‘I perform at this very high level every now and then, but I have to be consistent if I want to become a champion,’ he said. Behind the confidence, there was a touch of hard-earned humility. After all, this pole position doesn’t erase the missed opportunities of recent weeks. ‘It doesn’t make up for the last few weeks,’ he acknowledged, ‘but today counts. And I delivered when it mattered.”
He was also proud of what this particular qualifying session symbolised: a breakthrough. “Delivering a lap like today’s and performing so strongly throughout the weekend is something I’m proud of,” said Norris. “Hopefully, this is just the beginning.”
Behind the Revival: Upgrades, Setups, and Finally Feeling at Home
So where did this Norris come from? How did he leap ahead of the grid so dramatically, even outshining Piastri, who has often matched him blow for blow?
According to Norris, it’s a combination of factors.
‘Maybe changes to the set-up, maybe the upgrades — it’s hard to say exactly,’ he mused.
What is clear, however, is that, for the first time in 2025, he felt he could truly push. ‘It was the first time this year that I felt so confident and comfortable in the car that I could go for lap times with the necessary confidence.’
This level of comfort wasn’t always present earlier in the season, when Norris seemed just shy of achieving the final few tenths of a second, always chasing but rarely catching up. Now, however, he says that “the things I’ve been asking for, the things I’ve been missing, are improving”.
Indeed, McLaren rolled out its first major upgrade package of the year in Spielberg — subtle, perhaps, but evidently effective. ‘We’ve been waiting for this for quite a while,’ he revealed. ‘When I look at today’s result, it looks like we’ve definitely moved in the right direction, especially on a track with only about eight corners.’
Even in the high-speed sections where McLaren were theoretically vulnerable, the papaya car performed well. ‘Even where we expected weaknesses, it was a strength for us throughout the weekend,’ Norris admitted.
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The pressure’s still on, and he knows it
Norris didn’t shy away from admitting that the weight of expectation was bearing down on him before Q3.
‘The pressure was definitely there,’ he said. “But I also knew I could find something extra in certain areas if I got it right.” That precision effort paid off. ‘I cleaned up corners one, three and four and pushed more in the fast stuff. And it worked.”
Even then, Norris resisted calling it a perfect lap. ‘You can never say that for sure,’ he said with a smirk, ‘but it was probably as close as you could hope for.’
His joy was impossible to hide. ‘It was just fun,’ he said, sounding almost surprised by how good the car felt. From the outside, fans saw a driver in full control. From the inside, Norris confirmed that the sensations matched: ‘The car just felt very strong — and obviously very fast here.’
Verstappen publically warns Red Bull time is running out
Pole is just the start, now comes the hard part
Still, a stellar Saturday only sets the stage for the real test: Sunday. Norris knows as much. “Tomorrow’s race is long. I’m happy with today, but I want to prove myself again and again,” he said.
If Spielberg marks a turning point in Norris’s season, it will be because he turns this pole position into a dominant victory — his second in Formula 1. Moreover, it would deliver a significant psychological blow to Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and all the other drivers who are aiming for the championship trophy.
“Consistency,” Norris repeats like a mantra.
‘That’s what I need next.’
For now, though, he’s allowed to bask in the glow of a lap that reminded everyone, and himself, of what he’s capable of. After months of near misses and glimpses of greatness, Lando Norris is back. Or, as he said on the radio with a grin in his voice, “It’s nice to see my old self again.”
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Hamilton finally finds joy in red, a Glimpse of Progress at Ferrari – After months of frustration and unfulfilled potential, Lewis Hamilton finally has reason to smile in scarlet. At the Red Bull Ring, the seven-time world champion achieved his best qualifying result yet as a Ferrari driver, securing fourth place on the grid for the Austrian Grand Prix — a performance that, for once, was free from disappointment and disillusionment.
Although Charles Leclerc once again outperformed him, securing second place just as he did in Monaco, the gap between the Ferrari teammates was a mere 0.090 seconds. This closeness was enough for Hamilton to declare a breakthrough. And this time, he meant it…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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