New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nBut as Norris rounded the penultimate corner, he was a staggering 1.055s up on his previous lap.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t about to pinch pole from the title leader. He was about to blow him out of the water.<\/p>\n
Then he hit the brakes for the final corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I was in the wall,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought the boys were going to have to repair the car tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The time it took to save the car almost sunk him. Compared to his previous best lap, he lost 0.353s in that turn alone.<\/p>\n
He took pole by just 0.011s, the narrowest margin for a grand prix this season.<\/p>\n
Team boss Andrea Stella, almost lost for words, described it as a \u201cmasterpiece\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say that definitely this was one of the most impressive laps that I witnessed, as somebody that has watched telemetry in 450 grands prix,\u201d he said, per the F1 website.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we were not honestly performing to the level of scoring of pole position. I think at no stage during the weekend we demonstrated that the car was performing at the level of being the best car.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was so good, in fact, that Stella doubted Norris would ever be able to repeat it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that makes the lap unique, when you look especially at the telemetry, is the precision, the braking, the speed you carry an entry, the striking of the kerb, the going on power \u2014 everything is executed with a pretty unique level of precision.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe amount of kerb that you take in corner 1 and landing without upsetting the car \u2014 this is why I say the lap was almost unrepeatable, because all this was nailed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say that if we put another set of tyres, we would gain 0.3s in the last corner, but I\u2019m not sure we would be able to repeat what Lando was able to do in the first 21 corners.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norris said the first 21 corners of the 22-turn track went exactly as he planned in his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just a perfect lap,\u201d he said. \u201cUntil that point [at turn 22], every corner I did what I wanted to do and I kind of planned out to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lap really was just perfect, from good exits, good kerbs, just getting all the little things that are very important around here correct \u2014 and I did that only on my last lap and it all worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
His qualifying masterpiece was complete.<\/p>\n
What we don\u2019t know, however, is whether it will be good enough to win the first grand prix at the Madring.<\/p>\n
Kostecki storms to Bend 500 pole | 01:28<\/p>\n
IS THE WIN IN THE BAG?<\/p>\n
Overtaking is expected to be difficult on Sunday, when the Madring layout will make it difficult to execute a conventional late-on-the-brakes pass \u2014 though there are other strategic variables to consider, outlined below.<\/p>\n
On paper, though, that puts Norris in the best position to win the race. Much like Monaco or any street track, getting pole is half the job done.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s reason to think Antonelli, alongside Norris on the front row, may be in the preferred spot.<\/p>\n
The only historical data we have for this circuit is from the Formula 2 and Formula 3 races on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s go through them one by one.<\/p>\n
In the Formula 3 sprint race, Australian James Wharton started on pole but was beaten to the first corner by front-row starter Th\u00e9ophile Na\u00ebl. Na\u00ebl won the race, with Wharton second.<\/p>\n
In the Formula 2 sprint race Ritomo Miyata launched from P2 into the lead, past pole-getter Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. Miyata won the race, with Fittipaldi in second.<\/p>\n
In the Formula 3 feature race, pole-getter Taito Kato got the better launch, but he was still powerless to prevent Pedro Clerot from beating him into the first turn from second on the grid. Clerot won, with Kato second.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a pretty convincing trend.<\/p>\n
Pole starts on the racing line, but the left-right chicane means the driver starting second has a clear view of the apex. With only a short run to the braking zone, a decent start is all that\u2019s needed to take command on entry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe start is very important for sure, and the run into turn 1 is going to be important,\u201d Antonelli said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter that, if you have a similar pace, unless they make a mistake or you\u2019re able to have better deg and do something different on strategy \u2026 it\u2019s really hard to create overtaking opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norris will also start the race with the key disadvantage of having not completed FP2, when drivers undertook high-fuel running to get a feel for the car at racing weight.<\/p>\n
McLaren also revealed that Piastri\u2019s car was suffering an undisclosed issue that session, muddying his data.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got to do my homework,\u201d Norris said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of stuff that I\u2019ve got to spend my time doing tonight, so it\u2019s probably going to be a late one to try and get ahead of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the main part of the job was done today, so that\u2019s the bit I\u2019m most happy about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack Miller crashes out in first lap | 00:55<\/p>\n
WHAT KIND OF RACE ARE WE GOING TO GET?<\/p>\n
But the grand prix is a step into the unknown for everyone.<\/p>\n
FP2 was disrupted, so the usual race pace data was of limited value anyway, and the track has been evolving all weekend, making it hard to be certain on where conditions will land on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s combined with all the usual complications of this being a brand-new event with no historical data to rely on.<\/p>\n
There are some key considerations to think about<\/p>\n
The first is how much of a beating the tyres are taking.<\/p>\n
The circuit is surprisingly high grip for a new track, but because the surface is also very smooth, the tyres are still sliding a lot through the corners.<\/p>\n
This shows up as graining, when the rubber balls up on the tread surface, shrinking the contact patch. This happens because the tread is hotter than the bulk of the tyre.<\/p>\n
Front graining is debilitating for many laps but can be cleared up through driving. It\u2019s the more common kind of graining.<\/p>\n
Rear graining, though, spirals out of a driver\u2019s control almost immediately \u2014 and drivers have been reporting rear-left graining this weekend.<\/p>\n
A gradual warming-up of the tyre will help to avoid graining and prolong the life of the tyre, and that\u2019s expected to be a key part of the early stage of the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably it\u2019s going to be grandmother driving in the first 10 laps,\u201d Antonelli said. \u201cWe saw in the long run how steep the degradation can be, especially if you push too early.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll try to see in the moment \u2014 maybe tomorrow we go into the race and the degradation is going to be much lower.\u201d<\/p>\n
The preference for teams will be to make just one pit stop. That\u2019s because this is the longest pit lane on the calendar, and a pit stop comes with an almost 25s loss.<\/p>\n
If the tyres degrade anyway, however, the first person to pull the trigger on stopping twice could be a big winner.<\/p>\n
The pace difference between old and new tyres at this track is expected to be significant. The undercut risk, then, could be massive, so committing early could result in big gains in track position by having that extra lap on fresh rubber.<\/p>\n
The final strategic consideration is the likelihood of safety cars and red flags.<\/p>\n
The only F2 race of the weekend featured two safety cars. The Formula 3 feature race featured a safety car and a red flag.<\/p>\n
A drive could save more than 11s by putting under a safety car or even a virtual safety car to appear.<\/p>\n
The appearance of one or the other at a convenient time will likely see most drivers take advantage \u2014 or, at the wrong time, see a shuffling of the order.<\/p>\n
The likelihood of a crash requiring a red flag must also be considered \u2014 tyre changes under red flags are effectively free.<\/p>\n
Do drivers starting out of position \u2014 George Russell in sixth, Oscar Piastri in seventh, Oliver Bearman at the back \u2014 start on a harder tyre and hope that the interruption comes later in the race? Or do they go with the flow and hope to gain ground at the start?<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be a tense afternoon on the pit wall as every team pioneers what they hope will be the best route to the flag.<\/p>\n
Lindblad crashes on new Madring circuit | 01:31<\/p>\n
WHAT HAPPENED TO PIASTRI?<\/p>\n
Norris delivered McLaren\u2019s third pole in four grands prix and has the chance to do the same with race wins. It\u2019s a considerable turn in form, with only high-speed Monza breaking the trend.<\/p>\n
At 96 points behind Antonelli, and with McLaren 181 points behind Mercedes, it\u2019s almost certainly too late to be talking about title comebacks.<\/p>\n
But it does suggest that McLaren can be in the mix at the majority of circuits remaining on the calendar.<\/p>\n
Or at least Norris will be.<\/p>\n
The hard truth for Piastri is that he couldn\u2019t reach Norris in qualifying. Lapping 0.47s off the pace.<\/p>\n
It was an almost identical margin to his gap in Hungary, where the McLaren received its game-changing upgrade, though his deficit was considerably smaller in the Netherlands, where he was a respectable 0.142s adrift.<\/p>\n
It was a surprise result considering he\u2019d looked on par with Norris all weekend up until the final run of Q3 \u2014 he\u2019d been only 0.017s slower after the first runs of the pole-deciding session \u2014 though he\u2019d been roughly 0.4s adrift at the end of Q1 and Q2.<\/p>\n
Piastri\u2019s telemetry tells a familiar tale. While he\u2019s a match for Norris through the fastest corners, he loses too much ground through the slowest ones \u2014 the chicanes at turns 1-2, turns 5-6 and turns 7-8 and then at turn 17.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the first lap [of Q3] wasn\u2019t too bad, but the second lap was pretty shocking, to be honest,\u201d he told Sky Sports. \u201cDisappointing.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurn 1 didn\u2019t start very well, and a few places were quite a lot better than the lap before, but once you get out of the rhythm here, it makes life very tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot a great session. I feel like this weekend the pace has been reasonable. It\u2019s just been about trying to be there consistently. Unfortunately one of those sessions where you just wish you could have it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll start six places behind Norris, which is the biggest gap between them since last year\u2019s Mexico City Grand Prix \u2014 though he had a bigger advantage over his teammate last week in Italy.<\/p>\n
With both Ferrari drivers looking competitive and with Max Verstappen in the mix ahead of him, there\u2019ll be no easy wins on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
But with so much uncertainty around the race, you\u2019d be brave to rule out almost any outcome for the Australian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some say the perfect lap doesn\u2019t exist. Lando Norris might have disagreed as he rounded turn 21 at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":890028,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-890027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=890027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/890028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=890027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=890027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=890027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789268412_770_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n