Norris 'shocked' by Ferrari's Austrian GP collapse: 'I feel bad for them'

After Ferrari came within touching distance of pole position with both cars, the expectation was that the SF-26 would be firmly in the fight for the podium. Instead, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc could manage only fifth and eighth respectively, finishing 26 and 45 seconds behind race winner George Russell and well adrift of the leading trio, who crossed the line covered by just a handful of seconds.

After the race, Norris, who also endured a difficult afternoon and finished well adrift of the podium, admitted he was surprised by Ferrari's lack of pace. He said he felt sorry for the team, explaining that without enough power they were forced to push extremely hard both on the straights and through the corners, something that was particularly difficult with the current front tyres, making for a very tough race.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Hamilton described it as an extremely demanding afternoon, made even tougher by the scorching conditions. After a poor getaway, he recovered by overtaking Charles Leclerc and initially managed to stay in the fight with George Russell, but his pace quickly faded as rear tyre degradation became a major issue on every stint. He also explained that the car's balance was extremely difficult to manage, while Ferrari had already been losing around six tenths on the straights on Friday.

Hamilton said the team will now analyse whether that weakness remained during the race, but admitted the lack of overall grip meant Ferrari simply could not match the pace of its rivals. Despite the disappointing result, he praised the team's strategy and pit stops, stressing that at least they managed to bring home valuable points.

Looking ahead, Hamilton admitted Ferrari must push hard to introduce its next power unit upgrade as soon as possible. He explained that the main disadvantage does not necessarily feel like a lack of outright power, but rather inferior energy deployment compared to its rivals, particularly Mercedes, which continues to maintain stronger deployment throughout the straights. He finally added that Ferrari understands where it needs to improve in that area, although he acknowledged those gains are unlikely to arrive in the immediate future.