McLaren secure first front row position for nine years with P2 in Austria

First the first time in nine years, McLaren will start a Formula 1 race from the front row. It's their first time in either P1 or P2 on a Saturday since the final race of the 2012 season in Brazil. Lando Norris beat both Mercedes drivers and Sergio Perez. The British driver only missed out on pole position by 0.048 seconds. 

Joking before the session 

"We were joking just before qualifying, see you at the press conference. Because from what we saw this week and last week, we thought there was a chance of beating one Red Bull or Mercedes in the qualifying trim, but what he pulled off is a great reward. We are heading in the right direction. But as always, points get distributed tomorrow so let's not get carried away. There's still a huge gap compared to Mercedes and Red Bull," Seidl told Sky Sports. 

"I think there is a bit of a trend that we always show a bit less on Fridays compared to the competition. That's the way how we think we prepare best. So far it always works and we can make these steps after being nervous on a Friday night. The team did a great job."

Mixed emotions

Compared to his teammate, Ricciardo has been struggling for performance since he made his McLaren debut at the start of the 2021 season. This weekend Ricciardo will start from P13. 

"Still a bit mixed emotions, it was a shame for Daniel that he couldn't get to Q3. A mistake on turn four didn't allow him to progress. Still think he has a good chance to get back into the points," he added.