Lando Norris took responsibility for his sixth-place qualifying position for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday, citing too many errors.
Despite being the fastest in the practice session and topping SQ2, Norris felt he made mistakes in the final Sprint Qualifying (SQ3).
Norris was slower than his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri after the first run in SQ3. On his last attempt, he made a mistake at the hairpin turn. This allowed Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell to move ahead of him in the standings.
Norris admitted to locking up in the last corner and stated that the car’s lack of speed was a factor. He explained that the car’s known issues were more apparent that day. He acknowledged his mistakes but emphasized the McLaren car was challenging to drive.
While Norris had achieved numerous pole positions in 2024, he and McLaren have often missed out on race wins due to minor errors. This is an area McLaren is focused on improving, especially with Max Verstappen consistently ready to capitalize on any opportunities.
Norris believed his disappointing performance was mainly due to his own over-aggression rather than the car itself.
Oscar Piastri, who will start third, believes McLaren’s qualifying strategy for the Sprint was not optimal but remains confident about their performance in the shorter race, highlighting McLaren’s strong performance on heavier fuel loads and tire management demonstrated in previous races.
The Sprint race in Shanghai is scheduled for 3 am UK time on Saturday. The 19-lap race is expected to have high tire degradation due to the track’s long corners.
Piastri mentioned that McLaren was fast in SQ1 and SQ2 but made a different strategy choice in SQ3 by going out earlier and attempting two laps, which he now questions. However, he reiterated his confidence in the car’s pace and McLaren’s ability to compete at the front.
Max Verstappen, starting second, expressed surprise at his position and acknowledged McLaren’s speed up to the final qualifying runs, anticipating a challenge to keep them behind in the Sprint race. He sees his front-row start as motivation for his team.
Verstappen’s teammate, Liam Lawson, had a disappointing qualifying, ending up last after an error in SQ1. Lawson explained he went off track on his second lap and struggled with tire temperatures, leading to a frustrating session.
George Russell of Mercedes, who qualified fifth, expressed satisfaction with his SQ3 lap and praised Lewis Hamilton’s pole position lap. Russell noted McLaren’s strong performance in earlier qualifying sessions but their drop in SQ3, suggesting the competitive order between top teams can shift. He believes Mercedes has a chance in the Sprint race and anticipates an interesting competition.
Marcus Prine