Norris: « People like to invent a lot of things »

Lando Norris responded to the comments sparked by his delay behind Oscar Piastri during the sprint qualifying on Friday. Lagging by more than six-tenths behind his teammate, the Briton found himself at the center of much speculation, with some questioning a potential shift in the internal hierarchy at McLaren. In the face of criticism, the British driver responded in the best possible way by securing pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix.

The answer on the track

“It was a decent lap, so I’m happy. Everyone was quite worried after yesterday. I wasn’t even that far off, it was just a few little issues we had. So I was confident afterwards and coming in today, so it’s nice to see that I could get back on top,” explained Norris after the session.

In response to the doubts raised by his Friday performance, the McLaren driver wanted to put things into perspective: « Three tenths is just the slipstream and not being the first to leave the pits, so there was nothing to worry about. But people like to make up a lot of things, even though I felt good », he added.

While Piastri seemed unbeatable on Friday, Norris reversed the trend in Saturday’s qualifying by completing his best lap in Q3 85 thousandths faster than his teammate and securing his fourth pole position of the season in the process.

For his part, the Australian did not look for excuses but acknowledged a decisive mistake that cost him a better result: “The second round was going very well, and I just made a small mistake at turn 14. I lost a lot of time. It’s a bit disappointing. The car was still very good, but the margins are very tight,” he indicated.

Since the beginning of the season, the two McLaren drivers have been engaged in a close battle. The gap in the championship is currently nine points in favor of Piastri, who finished ahead of his teammate in the sprint race.

For Norris, the current performance of his team is as much due to the competitiveness of the car as to the level demonstrated by his teammate: « The car has been fast since the start of the weekend, Oscar is doing a good job too, so we are pushing each other a lot. It’s difficult, because we clearly see where our strengths and weaknesses are. We learn quickly from each other, which is a good thing, but also a demanding duel. », he emphasized.

The Stakes of the Weather

The forecasts remain uncertain for the race, but Norris does not hide his preference for milder weather conditions: « I’d like it to stay dry, honestly. Even for the spectators, I think it has rained here for the last ten years or something like that, so it would be nice to have a dry Sunday. »

The Briton, while being open to all scenarios and aware that conditions can swing between dry and wet on this circuit, says he is looking forward to an exciting race. He also points out that rain is an almost inevitable factor at Spa: It’s probably going to rain. I don’t know much more than that. It’s Spa, so there’s a high chance of rain. But it can also mean that sometimes it only affects half of the track, and the other half stays dry.

Whatever the conditions, a good start will be crucial for Norris. Indeed, like his teammate in the sprint, he will have to manage the slipstream on the Kemmel straight, which leads to Les Combes, a sector favorable for attacks. Verstappen notably took advantage of this to overtake Piastri, and starting from pole this Sunday, the Briton will be exposed to the same risk.