Lando Norris didn’t go beyond third place in the Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, facing more difficulties for the British driver.
After a disappointing sprint race, finishing in eighth place more than twenty seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, Norris partially redeemed himself in qualifying by securing third place. It was still a complicated session for the McLaren driver, who missed the final push due to an error during his second attempt in Q3.
The British driver, currently leading the World Championship with a two-point advantage over Max Verstappen, commented on the qualifying session: “I’m always disappointed when I don’t start from pole, but Oscar deserved it. He’s done an outstanding job all weekend, and I’m happy for him. It’s his first pole in Formula 1, and it’s always a special moment. Unfortunately, I made a couple of mistakes again, which seems to be a constant this weekend. The car did give me better feelings today, I felt more comfortable, and it’s definitely a step in the right direction compared to yesterday and this morning, so I can’t be too disappointed.”
Tomorrow, Lando will start from third position, with Verstappen alongside him for a repeat of what happened last season. The McLaren driver then added to his analysis: “Yes, it’s a tricky car to drive, I’ve said that many times: when we manage to extract the most from it, it’s still the fastest. Other times, though, it’s more nervous. Today, however, the problem was mine, not the car’s. We made several changes after the Sprint, and those adjustments gave us an improvement in qualifying. I hope to see that improvement in the race tomorrow.”
Photo: X McLaren F1 Team