Karun Chandhok pinpoints the Lando Norris moment that showed his full ‘commitment’ to Austrian Grand Prix pole lap

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Lando Norris stormed to pole for the Austrian Grand Prix with a lap that was over half a second faster than the rest of the field.

It was a dominant display from Norris, who beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.521s to the pole, while Oscar Piastri was a further 0.062s behind.

Piastri was hampered during the final runs in Q3 when Pierre Gasly spun exiting the final corner, bringing out the yellow flags and preventing him from using the DRS on his final attempt.

Max Verstappen could only manage seventh place after also being caught out by the yellows, which prevented him from him improving his first attempt.

Norris was likely uncatchable for Piastri because of how well he was driving around the 10-corner Red Bull Ring, with Karun Chandhok picking up on one thing the Briton did on his way to pole when speaking on Sky Sports F1.

Lando Norris showed ‘amazing commitment’ on the way to Austrian GP pole at Turn 9

The Red Bull Ring is one of the shortest tracks on the calendar, with Norris dominating throughout the weekend during the practice sessions.

It is much-needed for Norris after he collided with Piastri at the end of the Canadian GP in the closing stages, throwing away crucial points in the title race.

Piastri has been unable to match Norris at any stage during the weekend so far, and Chandhok pointed out one thing he was doing that has made him a cut above the rest this weekend.

“Hear how late he [Norris] was into the downshift at Turn 9. He basically went into the corner and got the downshift done, pretty much at the apex. Amazing commitment from Norris,” said Chandhok.

Lando Norris comfortable with new front suspension

Part of the reason why Norris has been closer to Piastri on pace this weekend is down to the front suspension upgrade, which enables him to feel the car better through the corners.

He has struggled with the feel of his McLaren at recent races, which is what held him back from challenging Piastri, who has won seven races so far this season.

Norris has been able to unlock a Fernando Alonso trait with the front suspension updates, giving him the confidence he needs through the corners that he lacked previously.

The Briton needs a strong weekend in Austria to continue his title challenge, and the pole should enable him to convert it into a victory, given he was half a second faster.