From the Red Bull Ring
A sensational pole position for Lando Norris in Austria marked a powerful response after the criticism he faced for mistakes in Canada. Credit also goes to McLaren, which implemented targeted updates to the MCL39 that restored confidence in the British driver. Saturday in Styria also saw Ferrari’s reaction, aided by hot conditions, a new floor, and—above all—an unusual level of calm and clarity. In contrast, Max Verstappen appeared discouraged and is now banking on strategy during the race.
Lando Norris capitalizes on McLaren updates
McLaren found its stride again in Austria. The Red Bull Ring suits the MCL39’s characteristics—from tyre management on hot and abrasive asphalt to traction out of hairpins and stability through medium-speed corners. “The speed of the McLarens is impressive; they go through turns 6 and 7 with 10 km/h more,” noted a surprised Hamilton. Credit goes to aerodynamic upgrades to the brake ducts and suspension fairings, along with the front wing tested in Canada, forming a complete front-end revision that increased downforce. “It wasn’t easy to improve what was already a competitive package,” explained team principal Andrea Stella.
A yellow flag during Oscar Piastri’s final attempt prevented him from challenging for the front row. However, it’s unlikely the Australian could have threatened Lando Norris, who led every session he participated in and was consistently at least a tenth faster than his teammate. Norris is known for his strength at the Austrian track, but his renewed connection with the McLaren also stems from mechanical updates to the front suspension introduced in Montreal.
In both Canada and Austria, Lando was the only one opting to use the new setup, which was available to both drivers. “We wanted to give them better feedback from the front tyres under braking, especially near lock-up, because that’s where you want the car to work,” said Stella. “It’s something drivers sense from several sources, including the steering wheel, and we wanted to improve how the front suspension communicates with the steering.” If the MCL39’s drivability over a single lap was Norris’s main concern, pole at the Red Bull Ring offers hope for the future.
Ferrari: more than just a new floor
Ferrari finally has a chance to convert its race pace into results with strong starting positions. Charles Leclerc will start from the front row, just half a second behind Norris—a gap that would have been smaller without an error on his final lap. The same goes for Hamilton, who was improving by three tenths in Q3 before a mistake in turn 6. Overall, Ferrari has mounted a solid reaction to its previous outings and to Friday’s session, which showed a setup that needed work.
“We definitely made progress overnight,” Hamilton commented, expressing satisfaction with the direction taken to feel more comfortable in the SF-25. Work continued into Saturday, with more changes aimed at reducing instability under braking—an issue exposed during the final practice. Ferrari arrived at qualifying with a well-balanced car, further boosted by rising temperatures as track temps hit 47°C in Q3, up from 39°C in the morning. The third sector’s fast corners are where the new floor paid off. “A small step,” said Hamilton, highlighting the benefits of the upgrade and of having a fresh, undamaged floor.
Fred Vasseur praised the team’s execution, a point even Hamilton noted: “I think the guys and engineers on the pit wall stayed really calm. The timing of the calls was perfect—from pit lane exits to the gaps they gave us to avoid traffic and penalties.” Still, the British driver added a warning: “It’s a slow process, but we are making progress. There are a lot of things we need to keep improving if we want to repeat this kind of weekend consistently.”
Max Verstappen’s frustration
Max Verstappen will only start seventh, affected by various incidents but never truly in the fight for pole. His struggles forced him to use an extra set of tyres between Q1 and Q2, meaning he entered Q3 without the usual two fresh sets. After an initial lap on used tyres, a yellow flag caused by Gasly prevented improvement on his final attempt, leaving him on the fourth row. Still, the circumstances can’t hide the RB21’s limitations, which Verstappen already described as unstable in FP3—difficult to manage under oversteer and when deploying power.
Things worsened in qualifying as Verstappen reported a general lack of grip at all speeds: “Every corner was a problem. The balance wasn’t there—it was understeering or oversteering. Even in the single lap I did, the car’s behavior changed.” The Dutchman does not believe this was caused by setup changes: “They were really minor tweaks that shouldn’t affect the balance. Nothing unmanageable. But then, with rising temperatures and wind, everything went wrong.”
Afternoon heat clearly didn’t help a car that typically prefers cooler conditions. Even so, the performance drop was extreme. Max Verstappen does not blame the new floor introduced in Austria: “I don’t think the upgrades caused all this or that we’ve suddenly gone backward.” Disoriented by unanswered questions, the Dutchman appeared more dejected than ever in front of the media. It recalled Hamilton’s frustration in 2021, when he watched Red Bull dominate this same track. Four years later, it’s now Verstappen who finds himself in that position.
Mercedes falls back
George Russell benefitted from Max Verstappen’s struggles to secure fifth for Mercedes, although far from the team’s strong showing in Montreal. The Brackley squad feared Austria would expose the W16’s limitations in tyre overheating and high-speed performance—and that’s exactly what happened. “The track was hot, around 50°C,” Russell explained. “The asphalt is abrasive, and there are high-speed corners. All of that works against us, just as everything worked in our favor in Canada.” Kimi Antonelli pointed to another factor: “The wind changed a lot compared to yesterday, and it affected us significantly.” Starting ninth, the Italian was caught out in Q3 by a poorly timed pit exit, catching a flag too early and unable to improve on his lap set with used tyres.
At the Red Bull Ring, however, starting position is less critical. High degradation and three DRS zones create numerous overtaking opportunities in a race all about pace. Forecasts predict more high temperatures, but teams remain undecided between one or two pit stops. Much will also depend on potential Safety Cars—the biggest threat for a dominant Norris heading into Sunday.
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