McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has praised Lando Norris for his stunning pole position in the dying seconds of Q3 at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
Norris snatched pole position by the narrowest of margins in Madrid, surprising both rivals and watching fans given he looked out of contention during qualifying.
This, in theory, set up the reigning world champion for victory on Sunday, given the near impossibility of overtaking at the Madring.
His race did not go as expected, an ill-timed Virtual Safety Car ruining his victory chances and relegating him to third by the chequered flag.
Stella praised the lap, believing the Briton’s experience was the secret behind his last gasp effort to snatch pole position.
“I would say that for the risk he took following such an incredible lap, he was almost lenient on himself,” he said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“But Lando has developed a lot of emotional racing resilience, and he is able to access the best of his potential more regularly, and he’s able at times to elevate the game to a further level.
“I would say that it was one of the most impressive laps I’ve witnessed as somebody who has watched telemetry for 450 grands prix.
“The most impressive thing is that it was pole position, despite having lost three-and-a-half tenths in the last corner, which means it could have been a pretty convincing pole position.”
Lando Norris pushing to a new level with pole lap?
Stella then claimed that Norris is pushing to a new level, with his data backing up the champion putting in “one of the best performances of his career”.
“At the same time, it was a consequence of pushing to the level that Lando managed to push to, and when you look at the telemetry, it is the precision, the braking, the speed carried on entry, the striking of the kerb, the going on power,” he said.
“Everything was executed with a pretty unique level of precision, and for me, the main attribute that would be associated with this lap was just incredible precision in the metre-by-metre execution.
“I think Lando offered one of the best performances of his career.”
Stella’s praise of Norris, although important, will do little to quell disquiet at losing the Spanish GP under circumstances beyond McLaren’s control.
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