Lando Norris took a well-fought win and third place at the Red Bull Ring in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 this weekend (16 – 17 July).

The 16-year-old had to work hard for his podiums with his race pace not what it was in practice or qualifying. But the Josef Kaufmann Racing driver came away happy with his performance in an exciting first race that saw him take a stunning victory after an epic battle. And he went on to take another podium in the second race which helped him extend his lead in the standings.

The ADD Motorsports-supported racer said: “We looked comfortable in practice and qualifying but the pace wasn’t quite there in the races which made things difficult.

“I had to fight really hard to win the first race - it was a great battle. I then did well to take third in the last one. In the circumstances, I’m pretty satisfied with how I raced and obviously pleased to stay at the top of the standings.”

Lando was fast in the first practice with the second fastest time, but was then forced to miss most of the second one due to some issues with the car. But he took the pace into qualifying to get his third pole of the season in the Championship. He got off to a great start in the first race, opening up a two-second lead by the end of the first lap. But he then struggled for pace and by the eighth lap had been caught up and was then overtaken on the next lap.

In an exciting race, the two drivers then swapped the lead several times, with Lando attacking quickly when he had lost his lead. He did well to hold on to the lead in the end for a well-deserved victory. Lando finished second in the second qualifier that took place on Sunday and got off to a good start in the second race.

He battled with the leader for the first lap but soon settled into second for the next four. With his pace still not quite there, he was overtaken and dropped to third. But with a decent gap to fourth place, the driver could concentrate on keeping his position and making sure he secured the podium.

Lando now sits at the top of the Championship on 159 points, with a lead of 26.5 points and three rounds to go.

He added: “Points-wise it was a really good weekend. I’ve extended my lead at the top of the Championship and have a pretty good gap to second place.

“But there’s a long way to go, so I’ve just got to keep working hard and see what happens.”