"I was little nervous during race...": McLaren's Lando Norris on Austrian Grand Prix
Jul 03, 2023
Styria [Austria], July 3 : In the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, McLaren driver Lando Norris finished the race in the fifth position which is his season-high yet.
In the Driver's Championship, Lando Norris is in the 10th position with 24 points.
Norris did not make the greatest start from fourth on the grid, losing out to the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton on the run down to Turn 1. However, once the race settled, he was able to put pressure on his compatriot, before overtaking him later on in the race.
"A very good day for us, honestly. I didn't expect it to be quite as good. I was a little bit nervous during the race about what to expect and how we were going to do and what the pace of the car was going to be," Lando Norris said, according to Formula 1 website.
"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. Just could we maintain that, could we stay there for the whole race? And surprisingly it was better than I was expecting. So, a good surprise, definitely helped us achieve the result today. 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."
Asked if it was nice to be fighting near the top of the field once again, Norris responded: "It makes such a big difference to fight some of the quicker cars and the bigger teams and not just that but to be fighting for P5, I guess, makes a big difference."
"It's just a lot more exciting for myself, probably for everyone watching, for all of the McLaren fans and everyone who works within the team, of course it's more exciting. You feel like you're getting rewarded and that makes a big change, so very happy with how everyone's done, the progress we've made, but clearly more to be done," he said.