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Lando Norris unfazed as Verstappen returns to form with Qatar GP pole – “They’ve not really had a bad race the whole year,”

Virgilio Machado by Virgilio Machado
December 4, 2024
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Lando Norris unfazed as Verstappen returns to form with Qatar GP pole – “They’ve not really had a bad race the whole year,”

Formula One F1 - Qatar Grand Prix - Lusail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar - November 30, 2024 Red Bull's Max Verstappen with McLaren's Lando Norris after qualifying in pole position REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Lando Norris was neither shocked nor disheartened to see Max Verstappen secure pole position for the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, shrugging off Red Bull’s resurgence as business as usual. Despite Verstappen’s struggles in the Sprint, the McLaren driver acknowledged Red Bull’s year-long consistency and felt their recovery was no surprise.

“They’ve not really had a bad race the whole year,” Norris said, reflecting on Verstappen’s pole-winning lap. “To see them slow yesterday was a surprise. To see them quick today is not the surprise.”


Norris delivers solid but imperfect qualifying

Norris, who topped Friday’s qualifying session and deliberately handed his Sprint win to teammate Oscar Piastri, qualified third for the main race. His 1:20.772 lap left him 0.252 seconds behind Verstappen and 0.197 seconds off Mercedes’ George Russell in second.

Despite the gap, Norris felt his performance on Saturday was stronger than his Friday showing, though not without its challenges. A mistake on his first Q3 run saw him dip a wheel into the gravel, while dirty air on his second attempt forced him to abort the lap. On his final run, he delivered a clean lap but fell short of matching Verstappen’s pace.


Straight-line speed proves McLaren’s Achilles’ heel

Norris attributed much of the deficit to McLaren’s lack of straight-line speed compared to Red Bull and Mercedes, estimating that he lost close to a tenth of a second before even reaching Turn 1.

“We’re losing a good amount in the straights compared to the others,” Norris explained. “We hope to gain a little bit back in the high-speed sections, but because it’s almost flat, we never got back what we were losing on the straights.”

Norris speculated that McLaren might not have been in the ideal downforce window for qualifying, suggesting a slightly lower setup might have yielded a better result. “On a day like today, you could probably get away with taking some off because you reach a point where you don’t gain anything more in the high-speed sections,” he said.


Red Bull’s dominance reasserted after rare hiccup

While Norris lauded Red Bull’s consistency, Verstappen’s pole position was a testament to the team’s adaptability. Recovering from sixth in Sprint Qualifying and eighth in the Sprint, Verstappen silenced doubts about Red Bull’s pace heading into the Grand Prix.

However, Norris pointed to the unusual nature of Red Bull’s struggles, which have been few and far between in 2024. While Red Bull might contest Norris’ claim about their consistency—having gone winless in a 10-race stretch earlier this season—it’s clear that Verstappen’s ability to extract pace from the RB20 remains a formidable challenge for rivals.


McLaren’s hopes for race day

Despite qualifying behind Verstappen and Russell, Norris remains optimistic about McLaren’s race pace, particularly if their setup proves more effective over a longer stint. The British driver is hopeful that the balance issues in qualifying will play to McLaren’s advantage on Sunday.

“Hopefully tomorrow that falls back into our hands just a little bit,” Norris said. “I don’t think I could have got a lot more out of it today, but the race is where it counts.”


Conclusion: McLaren poised but cautious for Sunday

As Max Verstappen asserts his dominance from pole, Lando Norris and McLaren are left to strategize for a race where execution will be critical. With straight-line speed proving a limitation, Norris knows McLaren’s hopes hinge on capitalizing in high-speed corners and maintaining tire performance over the long haul.

While Verstappen may start as the favorite, Norris is ready to push McLaren to challenge Red Bull and Mercedes, turning what he described as a “good lap” into a competitive result in Qatar’s desert showdown.

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