Lando Norris has been left frustrated with his 2024 United States GP Sprint Qualifying performance, branding his lap around the Circuit of the Americas as “shocking” despite managing to secure fourth on the grid.
The McLaren star, currently locked in a tense battle for the Formula 1 World Championship with Max Verstappen, finds himself starting three places behind his Red Bull rival, who clinched pole position for Saturday’s Sprint Race. The result means Verstappen is poised to extend his championship lead for the first time since July.
Norris, who trails Verstappen by 52 points in the standings, admitted that a string of small mistakes across his lap cost him valuable time. He finished 0.250 seconds behind Verstappen and narrowly missed out on beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by just 0.024 seconds. While Norris expressed frustration over his performance, he accepted that P4 was a result he could live with after struggling with balance and setup throughout the day.
“Not very good,” Norris said bluntly in his post-session interview. “I’m P4, so not a great day. I’ve been struggling the whole day with the balance and the setup.”
He acknowledged that despite feeling like his lap could have been much worse, the position was a small victory. “In a way, I’m happy with P4 because I felt like it could have been a lot worse. But my lap was shocking. So yeah, not a terrible day – could have been worse, could have been better, but I’ll take it.”
Norris’ fourth-place start puts him in a critical position as Verstappen seeks to increase his championship lead. If Verstappen wins Saturday’s Sprint, his advantage over Norris could stretch to 55 points, a significant step towards securing his fourth consecutive World Championship.
While the three-point difference may seem small, it could be crucial in the closing stages of the season, with only five Grands Prix and two Sprint Races remaining after the U.S. GP weekend. For Norris, every point counts as he attempts to keep his title hopes alive.
Despite McLaren’s impressive form in recent races, including Norris’ dominant performance at the 2024 Singapore GP, where he led by almost 30 seconds at one point, the British driver expressed uncertainty about how competitive his car will be in the Sprint Race.
“No, not really,” Norris said when asked if he expected McLaren to fight back in the Sprint. “I hope to go forward. That’s my plan. But on pace, I think we are where we deserve to be today.”
Norris admitted that while his goal is to move up the order, he’s unsure of how much ground he can realistically gain in the Sprint: “My plans are to go forward, but I have no idea how much we can.”
The 2024 United States GP Sprint Race kicks off on Saturday, October 19th, and could play a pivotal role in determining the trajectory of the championship battle between Norris and Verstappen as the season heads into its final stretch.
