The moment that Lando Norris feels 'cost him P3' in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP qualifying

Lando Norris believes the track limits compromised his third-place qualifying position for the 2023 Austrian GP.

The Briton was confident of qualifying on the second row of the grid for the main race but claims the track limits compromised his qualifying performance at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.

Speaking after the qualifying session to Sky Sports F1, Lando Norris said:

“I'm super happy, the guys have done a good job to get all the bits here and it's paid off straightaway. A very good day from from start to finish. We had a few issues this morning, which meant we were even more limited on running."

"To get, let's call it a new car, working as it should. It's difficult to commit, the last corner is very tricky because you're kind of on the entry kerb, which makes the car very nervous and I just missed the apex by a little bit. I just crapped myself, I thought I did track limits and I just had to back out of it. So it definitely cost me P3, which I'm a bit annoyed by because I would have loved to be Carlos, but happy with P4.”

With an upgraded McLaren, Lando Norris had a stellar qualifying session where he qualified fourth for the main race in Austria. However, the track limits at the circuit cost him a guaranteed third place on the grid. The Briton felt he missed the apex on the final corner of the circuit which compromised his ability to secure third.

The McLaren driver rued the limited time available to sort out their updated car as there was only one practice session available for the sprint weekend. Nevertheless, the Briton felt it was as good as driving a new car. He qualified third in the sprint shoot out but finished ninth outside the points as he succumbed to drivers who were on slick tyres while he was on intermediates.

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Lando Norris explains reasons for disappointing Sprint result in Austria

With a botched start to the race, Lando Norris started the sprint race in Austria from third place on the grid, only to finish in ninth place outside the points. The Briton explained that his car went into anti-stall mode at the start causing him to lose many places on the opening laps of the race.

Despite recovering to eight place in the race after some feisty battles with Charles Leclerc, the Briton got passed by Nico Hulkenberg and George Russell who were on fresh slick tyres while he wasn't.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the sprint race, Lando Norris said:

“I just got a bit sideways and I just went into anti-stall, and I was revving at Turn 3. So that cost me everything. I don’t know why it happened. My Turn 3 was OK, I think, [I] obviously got close [to Verstappen and Perez] but I just went into anti-stall so I lost everything. I was basically in neutral just watching everyone drive past. It was tough decision. The guys [who pitted for slicks] only managed to just get back through on the last lap."

"So it was tough, but it’s such a difficult one to know. You can look like heroes or either way, so it’s not like a yes-or-no answer. I’m happy with our decision of staying out and [if] there’s a Safety Car or something then the other guys look like idiots, but this way we look like idiots. It goes and comes your way sometimes. We lost one position, two positions on the last couple of laps but we all lost it really in Turn 3 on Lap 1.”

With only four drivers on the grid switching to slicks, Hulkenberg was the only driver who managed to surge the maximum number of places on medium tires. Lando Norris felt that the switch to slicks was a difficult gamble given the mixed grip levels on the track. Content with the team’s decision to not switch tires, the Briton felt it was the right decision.

Despite the disappointing result, the pace of the McLaren throughout the weekend in Austria has been evidence of the updates on their car paying off. A resurgent McLaren at this point in the season could mix it up for Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Ferrari, bunching the grid further.