McLaren: Norris has made "the next step" with first F1 podium
McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andreas Seidl believes Lando Norris' charge to third place in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix proves he has "made the next step as a driver"
Norris scored his first F1 podium at the Red Bull Ring after passing Sergio Perez and making up the time to cash in on Lewis Hamilton's five-second penalty.
The result meant Norris became the third-youngest podium finisher in F1 history, only older than contemporaries Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll, and capped off an impressive weekend in which he qualified fourth and spent much of the race leading the midfield runners.
PLUS: How reliability overshadowed developments at the Austrian GP
Seidl said it was proof of the advancements Norris had made entering his second season on the grid.
"For a driver it is important to create this momentum for himself as it gives him the confidence he needs to pull it off when it matters in qualifying and the race," Seidl said.
"Lando was simply building it up as he started well last year. You could see that last year in his race starts when he started carefully at the beginning, and then once he had a bit of confidence and races under his belt, he was there.
"With the work he has done together with his team over the winter, I think he simply made the next step.
"I am very happy, very happy with the team, so we can have some great results with him in the future."
On the final lap, Norris gained 0.8 seconds on Hamilton with the fastest lap of the race, allowing him to snare third by less than two-tenths of a second in the final classification.
On-board footage of Norris' final lap has gone viral on social media in the aftermath of the race, with his race engineer instructing him when to use the overtake button before celebrating the result once Hamilton's penalty was confirmed.
PLUS: How Bottas won F1's survival of the fittest
"At some point we all thought we missed the podium when [Charles] Leclerc went through, but obviously we were communicating the gaps to Lando about Lewis," Seidl explained.
"Then when he got his penalty, Lando was prepared for his last laps in terms of getting the maximum of everything that the car had.
"[For] Lando to pull it off like that is impressive, and if you look now at the whole weekend, it is impressive what Lando has done.
"It also shows that as we expected from him, he developed, or made the next step as a driver, which you would also expect after your rookie season in Formula 1.
"He did very well in analysing last year's season and looking into how he could be even better prepared going into this next season. He grew up in terms of personality and character.
"How he was approaching the first race of the season, I was very impressed. I am sure we will have a lot more fun with him in the future."
Speaking about his final lap, Norris said: "The pace was really nice in clean air. The Ferraris were quicker than us, the Racing Points were quicker than us, especially on the race pace.
"We were very fast yesterday but the race pace they were for sure quicker. They have a nicer car to drive, a bit more downforce and that helps in the race with the tyre degradation.
"It was very difficult but I think when I had the clear air, and I kept the tyres in a good condition, then I could really lean on it and the car came alive a bit.
"We turned up the power a little bit and I put in some really nice laps. I'm still out of breath from trying so much to finish where I did."
Mercedes hopeful of fixing F1 Austrian GP gearbox issues
Hamilton: I have no bad blood with Albon after F1 Austrian GP clash
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
Norris details why he thinks McLaren can beat Aston Martin in F1 standings
Norris details why he thinks McLaren can beat Aston Martin in F1 standings Norris details why he thinks McLaren can beat Aston Martin in F1 standings
McLaren: Red Bull “still a step too far” despite Norris F1 rallying call
McLaren: Red Bull “still a step too far” despite Norris F1 rallying call McLaren: Red Bull “still a step too far” despite Norris F1 rallying call
How Lando Norris is building up an empire outside F1
How Lando Norris is building up an empire outside F1 How Lando Norris is building up an empire outside F1
McLaren forging closer ties with Toyota as F1 rumours swirl
McLaren forging closer ties with Toyota as F1 rumours swirl McLaren forging closer ties with Toyota as F1 rumours swirl
Why Ferrari doesn’t agree with McLaren F1 fairytale revival
Why Ferrari doesn’t agree with McLaren F1 fairytale revival Why Ferrari doesn’t agree with McLaren F1 fairytale revival
How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again
How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again
MotoGP Japanese GP: Martin smashes lap record for pole
MotoGP Japanese GP: Martin smashes lap record for pole MotoGP Japanese GP: Martin smashes lap record for pole
Honda selects replacement for axed MotoGP technical boss Kokubu
Honda selects replacement for axed MotoGP technical boss Kokubu Honda selects replacement for axed MotoGP technical boss Kokubu
Loubet explains frightening WRC Rally Chile exit
Loubet explains frightening WRC Rally Chile exit Loubet explains frightening WRC Rally Chile exit
WRC Chile: Inspired Tanak ends eventful Friday leading Suninen
WRC Chile: Inspired Tanak ends eventful Friday leading Suninen WRC Chile: Inspired Tanak ends eventful Friday leading Suninen
When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle
When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
How football has posed difficult questions for F1
How football has posed difficult questions for F1 How football has posed difficult questions for F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1 The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.