Norris ‘speechless’ as sensational final lap earns him F1 podium

Lando Norris was left ‘speechless’ by his dramatic rꦜun to a maiden F1 podium in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix capped off by an incredible fastest lap on the final revolution that sܫecured his unexpected third place finish.
A stellar performance by the Briton at the start 💧of his second F1 season with McLaren Racing, Norris had already qualified a career-best fourth but would start third as a result of Lewis Hamilton’s grid penalty.
A good getaway lifted him to s𝓡econd briefly before a troubled opening few laps saw him slip back to r❀un in fifth position.
However, after McLaren pitted him for fresh rubber during the late safety car period, Norris was well placed again in a chaotic final laps despite losing his rhythm when Ch🤪arles Leclerc powered past, almost opening the door for team-mate Carlos Sainz to follow through.
Nonetheless, Norris got his head down to first dispatch of Perez with a robust pass into Turn 3 for fourthꦺ before getting the hammer down in the last laps knowing Hamilton up the road had a five-second penalty looming over him.
Remarkably, Norris would save his best for last, setting the fastest lap of the race – earning him an extra two points in the process - to haul himself back to within five seconds of the Mercedes ahea🍰♈d, lifting him to third and demoting his countryman to fourth.
“I am speechless,” he said. “There was a few points in the race where I thought I fudged it up quite a bit. I was down to fifth with a coup🃏le of laps to go and Carlos almost got past me, but I didn’t give up and I managed to get back past Perez to end up on the podium!
“It was a long race but I kept going, giving it my🥂 all, a pretty cool last few laps having to push as much as I could an꧃d now I am bit out of breath!”
A superb result for Norris to record only McLaren’s second podium in six years, Norris was proud to keep his head in chaotic🦋 ꦆsurroundings.
“I am so happy, I am so pro𝔍ud of the team, considering where we were a few years agoꦉ, it is a pretty good achievement so I am proud to be a part of it all.
“The last fe꧃w laps, when I got past Checo I knew he had a five second penalty but nothing more than that and I always seemed to strugglꦬe when I was close to the cars ahead, I was more vulnerable to cars behind.
“So I knew I had to get past him and then the Lewis penalty came up so I had to turn it up and start pushing, but it is about rhythm✃ here and I was locking up. “It was going downhill quickly but I recovered well and I am here.”