McLaren’s Lando Norris thought he had missed his chance at his first Formula One podium at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Norris claimed third place on the Red Bull Ring for just 0.1 seconds after Lewis Hamilton was demoted to order with a five-second penalty just after the race. The F1 sophomore, the 2019 rookie of the year, bested Racing Point’s Sergio Perez in the final stages after a period of pressure from McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz.
The British driver admitted that he felt the podium opportunity slipped away.
“There were some points where I thought I had messed it up a bit,” he said immediately after the race. “I fell to fifth with a few laps to go, Carlos was almost going to pass me. But I didn’t give up and managed to pass Perez and ended up on the podium.
“I mean it is a long race, but I kept on and on giving everything, [I had] a very good last few laps trying to push as much as i can. I’m a little out of breath, but I’m very happy and proud of the team.
“Considering where we were a few years ago so far, I think it’s a pretty good achievement, so I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Although Norris claimed the podium by setting the fastest lap of the race on the last lap, he was unsure
“The last few laps, when I had to beat Checo, I knew he had a five-second penalty, but nothing more than that,” he added.
“He always seemed to struggle when he was near the cars in front and more vulnerable to the guys behind. So I knew that, not just because of Lewis, because I didn’t know it at the time [he had a penalty]I knew I had to try to get over it.
“And then when Lewis’s penalty came, I knew he had to go up a little bit.”
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