F1 Austrian Grand Prix: 'McLaren have Taken a Big Step Forward', Says Lando Norris After Surprise P4 Finish

At the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren driver Lando Norris was in sensational form, passing Lewis Hamilton mid-race. The race-long struggle between the two British drivers began on the opening lap, when Hamilton overtook Lando Norris thanks to a quicker start. The McLaren driver maintained Hamilton in sight with an upgraded MCL60 and eventually passed the seven-time world champion on Lap 28. While attempting to defend against Norris in Turn 3, Hamilton lost traction and was forced to go wide. The gap was big enough for the young British driver to use DRS to go through the Mercedes. Lando Norris finished fifth in the main race of the Austrian GP, but when a penalty was assessed to Carlos Sainz, Norris was promoted to fourth place. The P4 finish contrasts with McLaren's early season challenges, as the team struggled in races and only managed a top finish of P6 in the chaotic Australian Grand Prix. 

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F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Lando Norris Surprised by Updated MCL60’s Race Pace 

From his fourth-place starting position, Norris did not get off to a strong start, as he was passed by Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes on the way to Turn 1. Even so, Norris finished fifth, which was later converted into fourth when Sainz received a post-race penalty.

A jubilant Norris said, "A very good day for us, honestly," as he exited the MCL60's cockpit. "I didn’t expect it to be quite as good. I was a little bit nervous going into the race about what to expect and how we were going to do and what the pace of the car was going to be. Especially from a degradation side of it, I think like the first five laps of every stint, you know, I felt confident we could be quick," he added.

Norris further added, "The upgrade has definitely helped us take a big step forward. So, I’m very happy. A good amount of points and a good reward for the team.”

Both Andrea Stella and his star driver, Norris, were visibly ecstatic about the weekend's results, despite the fact that Stella was quick to point out that the team's 'prudent' assessment of the upgrade was influenced by the cool weather and Norris's familiarity with the Red Bull Ring. 

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F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Post Race Penalties

Max Verstappen cruised to an easy win in a race that saw Lewis Hamilton and many other drivers incur penalties for frequently crossing track boundaries. The early penalty Hamilton received left him more irritated than the other drivers who made errors later. The FIA handed out further penalties to Sainz, Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Logan Sargeant, Nyck de Vries, and Yuki Tsunoda, and the teams have had to absorb those costs. Several of the race weekend's top contenders have complained about the track restrictions after having lap times erased during Saturday's qualifying and Sprint races.

Also penalised by Race Control for going too wide on the track was Haas driver Kevin Magnussen was given a five-second time penalty. Haas's social media team chose to poke fun at a problem that's making Twitter less enjoyable for many people.

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