Norris Takes Third - Sees Ferrari as Austin Race Favourites

Lando Norris expressed mixed emotions after finishing third in the Austin Sprint, pleased with points but frustrated by Sainz.

Lando Norris finished third in the Austin Sprint, but the McLaren F1 driver was torn between disappointment and satisfaction at the end. While he appreciated his third-place result, he expressed frustration at being overtaken by Carlos Sainz in the closing stages.

“It was a good race, and I’m fairly happy with how it ended. It was tough; I thought I could hold onto second, but Carlos drove very well. My front tyres were gone, and there was nothing I could do. The finish is disappointing, but I’ve picked up points,” Norris stated.

The driver, who came under investigation for erratic driving towards the end of the race after a somewhat aggressive defence against the Ferraris, emphasised that his strong start was not a rare occurrence.

“There have been a few races where the starts weren’t great, but usually they’re good, and today was a good start and a strong first corner. I did the best I could – we don’t have the pace of Max or the Ferraris, so I’m happy to finish third.”

In the end, the FIA decided not to penalise Norris for his manoeuvre in front of Leclerc. The governing body ruled there was “no significant change of direction under braking.”

Additionally, the FIA deemed Norris’s defence at Turn 15 “legitimate,” and for the first corner, the stewards considered that the British driver had simply missed a braking point.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, however, played down any disappointment with the third-place finish.

“We’ve always viewed Singapore, Zandvoort, and Hungary – where we were dominant – as exceptions, at least internally. The reality of F1 is that it’s a very tight competition. You can’t always take advantage of such favourable conditions.”

“Today, we have a more realistic picture of what we’ve seen throughout the year – four different cars battling for podiums. That’s what we’re up against. But it’s encouraging to see that we’re still at the front.”

“We’ve learned some things regarding tyre management and setup, and we’ll try to use that information to better prepare for qualifying and the race.”

Looking ahead, Stella is particularly mindful of Ferrari’s pace for the remainder of the weekend.

“I genuinely believe Ferrari seems to have one of the fastest cars on fresh tyres. They had some issues yesterday, but today in the Sprint, they looked the most convincing. So, I think they’re the favourites for tomorrow’s race.”