Norris deflated by gap: 'Verstappen is in a league of his own'

Qualifying for Sunday's race at the Austrian Grand Prix was dominated by Max Verstappen. The Dutchman finsihed fourth-tehtns clear of Lando Norris in second place, with the Brit the only driver on the grid who rwally gave some sort of challege to Verstappen at the front of the grid. As a result, the McLaren driver is not too hopefully about his chances in the race around the Red Bull Ring.

Speaking to former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer on the grid after qualifying finishing, Norris said, "I think it was as much as we could do today. Max was in a league of his own. Clearly much quicker than what we had, so I’m happy. Tricky conditions. It felt a bit more difficult than it was yesterday, a lot closer. More difficult to get the laps in and perfect them. It was good enough and I’ll take it."

It has been a tough weekend for the Brit who has come down with a cold while in Spielberg. In the sprint race, he let Verstappen move up the inside with ease just after he took the lead, which led to him giving up the lead of the race and P2 to his teammate in another mistake-filled race. Even though Verstappen bested him again, Norris knows that he is almost unable to match that pace.

"It's tough," continued the McLaren driver. "When you look at the pace today, it’s clear that we’re going to give it a lot. We’re going to need something extra to beat the pace of Max and the Red Bulls. I’ll try. I’ll do a better job than I did this morning, that’s for sure. I’m excited. I’ll look forward to it. It’s a long race, many things can happen, and normally we’re better in the races than we are in qualifying, so let’s see."