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Norris surprised with P3 start for Styrian GP: It was a lot of fun

Norris surprised with P3 start for Styrian GP: "It was a lot of fun"

26-06-2021 15:25
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Lando Norris is having a strong season for McLaren. Following Valtteri Bottas' penalty for spinning in the pits during practice, the British driver moves from P4 to P3 for the Styrian Grand Prix. A qualifying result that leaves Norris surprised. 

"It was a lot of fun. The car was good. It's one of the coolest tracks to drive in qualifying. The high-speed corners are nice, it feels fast and I'm out of breath by the end of it. P3 tomorrow which I'm a bit surprised by it," Norris told Sky Sports after qualifying. 

"Surprised myself. I was reasonably close to Alonso so I messed up turn one with the dirty air. The slipstream helped though which made the difference through the lap. The rest of the lap was very good, I didn't make any big mistakes. The last few corners are tricky because you don't want to risk too much. I've got the confidence to push with the car." 

Red Bull Ring

The Red Bull Ring is one of Norris' best venues in Formula 1. Last season, the McLaren driver made a name for himself by gaining places with the 'last lap Lando'. Norris also recorded his first-ever podium in F1 at this venue. 

"It will be nice to repeat last year's podium. We know both Red Bulls and Mercedes are quicker than us. Maybe not today, but we know they have better race cars. We can still score some points. If there are safety cars, mistakes and penalties then we also need to capitalise on it," Norris added. 

"Earlier in the weekend, I was praying for rain because I was struggling a little bit. But I made some good improvements. I'm hoping for it to stay dry. But we can still score in the rain."