Lando Norris has expressed that he is anticipating a close “battle” with McLaren’s rivals in the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint race despite surging to pole position.
Norris topped the initial two sessions on the Medium compound and then produced a 1:21.012s on his opening attempt to lead the times on the Softs as SQ3 began.
But while he was unable to improve on his second run in the closing stages of SQ3, Norris retained top spot with a 0.063-second margin to Mercedes’ George Russell.
“It’s tough because it’s so quick around there,” Norris said. “It feels like the quickest circuit of the year.
“I mean, it’s like the final sector just feels like you’re hanging on.
“Great qualifying today, especially to bounce back from where we were last time out in Vegas. It’s a nice thing to do, so happy.
“It was a decent lap. I made a couple of too many mistakes on my second. But we were coming here to get pole and we did that, so job done for today.”
Norris explains unique Qatar challenge
The searing temperatures that the drivers were exposed to upon Qatar‘s return to the calendar last term meant the round was shuffled back over a month this season.
Norris’ pole time was three seconds faster than the equivalent time on the sport’s last visit, which he admitted created an additional challenge at the high-speed track.
“Yeah, the wind plays a big part, but the conditions are also a lot better than last season,” he explained.
“Makes it a lot tougher physically, but also makes it a lot quicker to drive.
“I struggle too, but I think some of the other cars are close to being flat in most of the corners in the final sector and that’s quite an accomplishment.
“So it feels quick and when it feels quick it must be very fast.
“So it’s a challenge out there, not easy to put a lap together especially because the tyres don’t feel in for the beginning and then kind of through the lap you gain confidence.
“So that’s been the challenge of today, but it’s paid off we made some good improvements into qualifying and I was happy with it.”
McLaren aiming to extend title lead
With team-mate Oscar Piastri supporting Norris in third place, McLaren is well-poised to extend a 24-point advantage over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.
However, Norris isn’t discounting the threat that Mercedes’ Russell or the two Ferrari drivers, who will line up in fifth and sixth, could pose to him in the truncated race.
“I want to win, we want to win every session as drivers,” he asserted.
“Our target is a 1-2, we want to maximise points for our Constructors today. So, yeah, we want to go for it.
“We know it’s gonna be a battle; we know Mercedes will be quick, Ferrari will be fast, so not expecting an easy one, probably an exciting one for everyone watching.”
READ MORE – McLaren’s Lando Norris takes F1 Sprint pole in Qatar
