McLaren takes pole position with Oscar Piastri, his second of the season, but Norris ends up only in sixth place.
A bittersweet qualifying for McLaren, which secured pole position with Oscar Piastri, his second of the season, while Lando Norris could only manage a modest sixth place. The Papaya team has the pace to win with car number 81, while the British driver will have to make up ground if he wants to fight for victory or a podium finish in tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
Here are the statements from the two drivers, starting with pole sitter Piastri: “Pole position! I’ve felt comfortable pretty much all weekend. We’ve shown great pace, and the car is handling superbly, which is the most important thing. Tomorrow we have a long race ahead, where anything can happen, but starting from pole is definitely an advantage. There will still be work to do tonight, but I can only thank the team for providing me with such a competitive car this weekend. I can’t wait to get out on track!”
Piastri then added: “Maybe the gap is a bit smaller than I expected, but not by much. In FP2, we were strong, but I don’t think the others were able to put together completely clean laps, while we had a couple of tenths of an advantage.
Today, in FP3, we felt really strong, but we knew qualifying conditions would be different, so I expected a certain gap, although it’s perhaps a bit closer than I anticipated. Getting away at the start? I hope so. The priority is to maintain the lead off the line, then I have a lot of confidence in our pace. That doesn’t mean we can relax, but I think our rhythm is solid, and I hope to show that tomorrow in the race.”
A very different story for Lando Norris, who disappointed expectations by finishing in sixth place. Without mincing words, in the post-qualifying interviews, the Briton took full responsibility for his performance. Here’s what he had to say: “It was a disappointing day. The car was fantastic, so I have to thank the team because they’re doing an amazing job, but I’m not.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t put together the laps at the key moments, and that cost me some positions in qualifying. That said, our race pace is very good, and we’ll work hard tonight to prepare.”
