Lando Norris lays down 'over and over' target after Austrian domination

Lando Norris expressed his pleasure at dominating qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, highlighting how "tough" he has found putting together a single lap so far this F1 season.

He maintained he wants to prove it to himself "over and over again" after taking the eleventh pole position of his F1 career.

The British driver took pole position from Charles Leclerc by over half a second, with a lap time of 1:03.971.

McLaren team-mate and the F1 drivers' championship leader, Oscar Piastri, qualified third after Pierre Gasly denied him the opportunity to set a second timed lap in Q3 at the Red Bull Ring.

"It was a good lap, that's for sure," Norris said after getting out his MCL39. "I guess just little bit by little bit.

"I feel even like my Q3 run one was good, but I knew there's a few places where, if I just got it right, I could get still quite a bit more time and I did exactly that.

"So I did what I planned to do. And when I plan to do something, and it goes right, it normally goes very, very well. So, yeah, very happy. A good day. It's been a good weekend for me so far. So hopefully we can keep it up."

When asked by David Coulthard, who took McLaren's last pole position at the same track in 2000, whether this was a "new steely focus" from him, Norris explained how he wanted to "savour" the moment.

"I don't know, I've been... I'm still very happy," he replied. "It's a long season. So I'll savour this moment, especially because this has been some of my tougher moments, the qualis [qualifying].

"So to put in a lap like today, to have the performance throughout this weekend like I had, was pleasing for myself.

"But I'm excited. It's a long race tomorrow. It's more, it's just a long season. And I'm very happy with today, but I want to prove it to myself over and over again, and hopefully this is just the beginning of it."

Norris will start the Austrian Grand Prix trailing Piastri by 22 points in the drivers' standings.