LANDO NORRIS maintained an upbeat attitude despite losing pole position to Max Verstappen during Friday’s qualifying for the United States Grand Prix sprint race.
The 24-year-old Briton had led the timesheets for McLaren during a closely contested session before being outpaced by the four-time world champion in the final seconds.
“It’s all OK,“ Norris stated after the qualifying session.
“It’s not that unexpected and it has been difficult over the bumps in sector one.”
The McLaren driver expressed his desire for pole position while acknowledging Red Bull’s slight performance advantage.
“I would have loved to be on pole but Red Bull are just a little bit ahead of us.”
Norris remains confident about his team’s race performance compared to their qualifying pace.
“But I think our race pace will be a bit better so we have good hopes for the race.”
The British driver currently trails his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by 22 points in the championship standings.
Piastri qualified third for Saturday’s sprint race despite describing his session as messy.
“I didn’t get it together today and in some ways I am fortunate to be third on the grid.”
The Australian driver remained positive about his car’s performance despite his qualifying struggles.
“The car pace is good and it was nothing major.”
Piastri acknowledged the need for improvement in Saturday’s main event.
“I had a messy lap and I will have to be tidier tomorrow.”
The championship leader expressed hope for a strong start to the sprint race.
“I will see what happens at the start and hope for a good launch.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described the qualifying session as a genuine representation of current team performances.
Stella noted Red Bull’s ability to compete for pole positions across different circuit types.
“We are competitive too, so it’s a good result for us if not the one we wanted.”
The McLaren team boss emphasized the importance of their qualifying performance as preparation for both the sprint and main race.
“We want to take pole but this is a good foundation for the sprint race and for race quali tomorrow.”
Stella joined his drivers in expressing optimism about Saturday’s racing prospects.
“I think it will be a good race.” – AFP
