Qatar Grand Prix – Norris: « I think we have a good chance »

Lando Norris will start in third position for the Qatar Grand Prix, behind George Russell, promoted to pole position after Max Verstappen was penalized for driving too slowly during qualifying. This performance comes just hours after a sprint where the Briton deliberately gave the win to his teammate Oscar Piastri, in a gesture of reciprocity for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The qualifying session proved intense for the McLaren driver, who managed to extract the maximum from his car despite strong competition. “It wasn’t the position we were hoping for after yesterday and today, but it was really the best we could do. My lap was pretty good, but just not fast enough compared to the others,” Norris said after the qualifying session. “I’m happy with my lap and giving it my all, but not satisfied with the result.”

The battle for the constructors’ championship remains a major issue for McLaren, and Norris is fully aware of it. Everybody saw how tight it was between all of us during qualifying, there wasn’t much that separated us, which gives us hope that we can still progress. There are also very fast cars behind us. We look forward to it, and I think we had a good race today. I had the advantage of being in front, in clean air, which is a nice thing, but I expect a tougher race, he notes.

I am here to win races and a championship.

Earlier on Saturday, Norris had shown remarkable team spirit during the sprint. Leading the race from the start, he deliberately slowed down in the last corner to offer the victory to Piastri, despite his team’s contrary instructions. “I had planned to do it since Brazil,” he explained. “The team told me not to do it, but I thought I could get away with it, and we did. Honestly, I don’t mind. I’m not here to win sprint races. I’m here to win races and a championship, even if it didn’t go as planned.”

Regarding Red Bull’s pace, which has shown a clear improvement compared to the practice sessions, Norris is not surprised. Not surprised at all. When have they been bad throughout the season? It was a surprise that they were slow yesterday, not a surprise that they are fast today.

For the race this Sunday, the McLaren driver is optimistic while remaining realistic. I think we have a good chance, even if I don’t believe we are as fast as Mercedes and Red Bull have shown they can improve from yesterday. There are a lot of opportunities for everyone. As a qualifying car, we are a bit behind and did not have the same potential as Red Bull and Mercedes. But I hope it will come back to us a bit during the race.

McLaren finds itself in an ideal strategic position with its two drivers on the second row. Norris in 3rd, and Piastri in 4th, will have the opportunity to capitalize on their excellent race pace shown during the sprint. With the battle for the constructors’ championship in full swing, this setup could allow the team to win this title on the Qatari track if the two drivers manage to reach the first and second steps of the podium.