Damon Hill notices one thing Lando Norris did immediately after scoring ‘massive’ Austrian Grand Prix pole

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McLaren star Lando Norris took pole position for the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix with the biggest margin this year after beating Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc by 0.521 seconds.

Very fine margins have regularly split the two fastest drivers during qualifying sessions in the 2025 F1 season with the average only 0.093s during the 10 rounds ahead of the Austrian GP. Yet a late yellow flag due to Pierre Gasly of Alpine gifted Norris an inflated margin at the top.

Norris took pole position for the Australian GP by only 0.084s to his McLaren teammate and 2025 F1 drivers’ championship rival, Oscar Piastri, before the 25-year-old won in Melbourne. A mere 0.109s margin to Leclerc even saw Norris get pole for the Monaco GP, which he won.

Red Bull predict Max Verstappen could have qualified in P3 for the Austrian GP if it were not for Gasly spinning at the end of the session. The Alpine ace losing his A525 on the exit of the final corner also meant Piastri could not improve his provisional Q3 lap time and finished P3.

Damon Hill immediately spotted Lando Norris’ ‘massive’ grin after scoring Austrian GP pole

Piastri was nearing the last turn as Gasly recovered from his spin and sparked double-waved yellow flags, ensuring the McLaren racer had to abort any attempt to rival Norris for pole for the Austrian GP. It is the Woking natives’ seventh pole so far this year through 11/24 rounds.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

And Damon Hill immediately spotted the ‘massive’ grin on Norris’ face as the Briton got out of his MCL39 after scoring pole at the Red Bull Ring. The 1996 F1 champion feels the Bristol native had every reason to be thrilled after beating the best pole margin of 2025 by 0.312s.

Hill noted on X: “Lando can hardly keep the massive grin on his face. As well he might, 0.5s around a 1:03.971 lap is MASSIVE!”

Lando Norris has won every Grand Prix he has started from pole position so far in 2025

Norris had seen his McLaren teammate set the best pole margin of the 2025 F1 season thus far as Piastri scored pole for the Spanish GP with a 0.209s lead over the Briton. But Saturday at the Red Bull Ring was Norris’ day, as he beat Piastri by 0.294s in Q1 and also 0.146s in Q2.

McLaren have even seen Norris top every session the 25-year-old has featured in at the Red Bull Ring, and he will hope that continues in the race to eat into Piastri’s 22-point lead in the F1 drivers’ championship. Norris will even hope Leclerc holds Piastri up from P2 on the grid.

READ MORE: Most successful drivers at the Austrian GP of all time and at the Red Bull Ring

Norris has even only won the Grands Prix he has started from pole so far this term ahead of the Austrian GP. Making it three from three in the foothills of the Styrian Alps would also be the ideal way to react to Norris crashing into Piastri during the Canadian GP trying to get P4.

McLaren will also be happy to see their upgrades deliver another pole position. Ferrari have the biggest upgrade package at the 2025 Austrian GP after debuting a heavily updated floor and a new rear diffuser, but McLaren have also added new elements onto their suspension.