McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed P2 in Qualifying at the Miami GP after Max Verstappen secures pole position following a dramatic Sprint Race. After a tight qualifying session in Miami, Norris said he was “happy with the progress [he’s] been making with the car.” The P2 finish comes after a sprint victory earlier on, where the help from a late, well-timed safety car secured Norris the victory.
Norris “feeling good” following Qualifying
When asked about Max Verstappen’s strong pace in Qualifying, Norris stated, “Yeah. No, hats off to Max, especially being a dad now. I was hoping he was going to slow down a little bit, but it clearly didn’t.”
“So no, I’m happy with today. I’m happy with the progress I’ve been making with the car, with myself. So no, Max did a Max lap once again and I can’t fault him. So happy and yeah, excited for tomorrow.”
After making a mistake coming into the final turn where he lost the majority of his lap time, Norris replied, saying, “I did. Yeah. Yeah. I think even that lap, well, it’s all ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’ stuff, you know. But I didn’t deliver.”
Norris further commented on “feeling better than [he has] done over the last few weekends”.
“But yeah, no, I mean the pace was there. The car has been feeling good. I’ve been feeling better than I have done over the last few weekends. I’ve still not put it together, but it is what it is. Max on pole and P2, so yeah, ready to see what we can do into Turn 1.”
With the possibility of more rain for the main race on Sunday, Norris says he will be “ready for both” if it is wet or dry. However, the possibility of rain did sit well with Norris, who believed he had strong pace following the Sprint Race.
“I was. So let’s pray for that. You know, I don’t really mind if it’s going to be dry or wet, but Miami seems to be surprising quite a bit with the weather at the minute. So I’m ready for both.”
Norris knows where he lost time on his final run.
Norris lost most of his final lap time in Turn 17, leaving him frustrated with the mistake. However, he remained positive, saying he was still “happy with the progress” he and the team had made throughout the session.
“Yep. You got it right. Yeah. I just didn’t quite put it together, but that’s it,” he said.
“Very. I mean, I’m very happy with the end result. Just a shame when you miss out on pole, so that’s the only frustrating bit. But I think I’ve been trying different things, I’ve been doing different things with the team to try and work a bit more in this area and things have been taking a step forward. So I’m happy. Maybe not quite there yet, but happy with the progress.”
Norris anticipates it will be a closely fought race during the race on Sunday for the Miami GP, pointing to the circuit’s overtaking opportunities and competitive field when compared to Suzuka a few race weekends ago.
“Yeah, I would say so. I mean, the DRS helps a lot around here with the overtaking. It’s what you need. You also have some much bigger braking zones than you have in Suzuka, so I hope so anyway. I hope that’s the case and we can have a good race tomorrow. But I don’t just expect competition from Max. Kimi’s been quick all weekend and Oscar has been as well. So yeah, I just expect a tough race from all accounts.”
Norris in close contention with Oscar Piastri.
With Norris currently trailing Piastri in the Drivers World Championship, the two McLaren drivers are the biggest contenders to be the drivers world champion this season. Norris believes it is “impossible to know” who is the fastest and most consistent driver.
“Impossible to know, you know, what car he’s got compared to us. The advantage we have is two quick drivers and they don’t, or we have a car that’s capable of allowing drivers to drive it quicker. But yeah, impossible to know, impossible to actually know the difference between the two cars.”
Norris will now look to convert his front-row start into a victory on Sunday, going for a second race win at the Miami GP after gaining his first-ever Grand Prix victory last year in Miami.
