After missing out on yet another opportunity to beat Max Verstappen in the Sprint in Spielberg on Saturday, Lando Norris is looking forward to taking the fight to the Dutchman during Sunday’s Austrian GP. He believes that the Dutchman is only “fractionally” faster, which is why he managed to win.
“The pace was there, but I don’t think we had the pace to go with Max,” said Norris in the post-Sprint press conference. “He was fractionally faster and tomorrow is another day.”
Verstappen finished four seconds ahead of Piastri, beating him comfortably. However, the final classification reveals only little about what actually transpired.
Norris: The pace was there, but I don’t think we had the pace to go with Max, he was fractionally faster and tomorrow is another day
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) June 29, 2024
Towards the start of the race, it seemed as though Norris and McLaren had the pace to overtake Verstappen and he did so. But it was a fleeting moment of hope for the Woking-based outfit as Verstappen retook the lead in the very next corner. However, for Norris, the whole ordeal lost him a place to teammate Oscar Piastri, who couldn’t keep up with Verstappen.
As a result, the 26-year-old was able to build up a wide gap to the front, winning the Austrian Sprint.
Norris, however, predicts a better performance from his end on Sunday for the main Grand Prix, which is why Verstappen will hope he can hold off the Bristol-born driver once again.
All eyes on Lando Norris vs Max Verstappen duel
Verstappen was a class apart during Qualifying later on Saturday. He dominated, securing pole position by a margin of 0.4 seconds to second-placed Norris who will start alongside the Red Bull driver for the second time this weekend.
Max Verstappen was on another level in qualifying
Sit back and watch a master at work #F1 #AustrianGP @pirellisport pic.twitter.com/MWLvXBFq52
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2024
However, Verstappen’s race pace will make him slightly wary of Norris. As evident by what happened in the Sprint, McLaren could very well field a car that matches Red Bull’s. Verstappen held the papaya car for 23 laps around the Red Bull Ring, but whether he can do it for 71 remains to be seen.
Norris meanwhile, would prefer to be the one being chased, and not the one struck behind Verstappen’s RB20. For that, he needs a good start off the line, something which spoiled his chances of winning the Spanish GP a week ago.
