Lando Norris may not have thought McLaren had the speed to win the Austrian Grand Prix, but he was right to admit that he “left the door open, like an amateur” because it denied him the chance to see if it was really possible to win the race.
He did a lot right when he made an unexpected late braking move on Max Verstappen at Turn 3. It was a brilliant pass, as he positioned his car perfectly to jeopardize Verstappen's exit.
This allowed him to move forward on the straight path. At the point where he crossed the Red Bull driver's arches after the start, it appeared as if he had made the move because it was almost impossible for Verstappen to get him back from the outside of Turn 4, especially since he did not have a DRS system.
That’s why it was puzzling to see Norris back towards the racing line approaching Turn 4, giving Verstappen more than enough room to squeeze inside and retake the lead. To make matters worse, it allowed teammate Oscar Piastri to move ahead, with Norris sensibly dropping back on the inside at Turn 6 to ensure there was no collision.
Lap six was Norris' chance to move ahead and he did the hard part, but it was a fundamental error in racing art that meant it didn't pay off.
“Once it's too firm it's difficult and once the tyres are too hard it's difficult to do much, so I had to make the most of my opportunity,” Norris said. “Then I messed it up and left the door open, like an amateur.”
There are times when criticism of Norris – whether self-criticism or criticism coming from outside – is overblown.
In the past, he had been reticent to fight drivers in significantly faster cars because putting up a futile fight would have jeopardized his result, but now McLaren is able to fight for the win at a pace he has shown he is fully prepared to hold on to. However, this was a big mistake.
He made the move, and it was executed brilliantly. There’s a good chance he could have stayed ahead had he not given Verstappen, of all people, space. Instead, he had to settle for third.
Norris's self-criticism is a strength and it's encouraging that he immediately realized he'd made a rookie mistake. Speaking in the post-race press conference, he addressed what more he needs to get out of himself to beat Verstappen on a more regular basis.
“As a race car, we still miss a little bit but that's not my excuse,” Norris said.
“For the day, [it was] Nothing more than the fourth turn. If I had just defended and not left the door open, it would have been a different story.
“Maybe it was just one corner and Max was able to pass me again the next lap.
“So there's nothing specific. I don't feel good and there are still a few opportunities that I feel like I'm missing out on, and in the end, I think, 'Oh my God, how stupid was I to do some of the things I did?'
“But at the same time, I do my best when I'm on the track. So I don't necessarily think about what other people are thinking outside. I know I've done things that aren't good enough and things that aren't as good as they should be and I'm trying my best to improve on them.”
Norris is certainly increasingly focused on the small negatives in his and McLaren's game, and this sustained period of battling at the front will play a major role in honing his already formidable skills.
This mistake is a valuable lesson, which he must learn from if he wants to realize his enormous potential and become a world champion in the future. After all, in a close title fight, that kind of misjudgment could mean a huge points swing against Norris if it happened in a full points race.
The good news for Norris is that he is learning quickly, and he has the opportunity to put that learning into practice at Sunday's Grand Prix.
