McLaren finished the practice sessions for the Austrian Grand Prix strongly, with Lando Norris topping the timesheets, leading teammate Oscar Piastri for a McLaren one-two ahead of Red Bull`s Max Verstappen.
Norris, currently second in the championship 22 points behind Piastri, posted a fastest lap of 1:04.324 at the Red Bull Ring, 0.118 seconds quicker than the championship leader.
Verstappen was 0.210 seconds behind Norris and experienced a significant spin at the final corner near the session`s end. Ferrari showed improved pace, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton securing fourth and fifth positions.
McLaren was quickest in two of the three practice sessions. Mercedes` George Russell, fastest on Friday morning, fell to sixth as Saturday conditions became much warmer, a trend that continued as conditions heated up.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff explained their drop in performance was linked to the heat, telling Sky Sports, “That`s why it went a little bit belly-up for us.” He stated they were competitive initially but lost performance once temperatures exceeded a certain level. Wolff also highlighted the difficulty in matching McLaren`s speed in high-speed corners.
Wolff further detailed that Friday`s balance changes weren`t optimal, and while improved on Saturday, the track temperature soaring from 33 to 42 degrees Celsius during the session significantly impacted their performance.
The rest of the top 10 included Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in seventh, followed by Lance Stroll for Aston Martin, Yuki Tsunoda for Red Bull, and Gabriel Bortoleto for Sauber.
Norris`s strong practice performance, including leading Friday`s second session, indicates his determination for a successful weekend in Austria, especially after missing out on points following a collision with Piastri in Canada two weeks prior.
