After a strong showing in FP3, Saturday seemed to be going McLaren’s Lando Norris’s way. However, pushing a bit too hard in the final laps of Q3 means Norris will start Sunday’s race from P7.
Lando Norris seemed to be seeing the bright side of the Saturday sessions of the Canadian GP after a strong showing in FP3 saw him top the session with a 1:11.799. However, after taking a gamble with tires in the later stages of qualifying, he saw himself with only a P7 start on Sunday to show for his efforts.
Norris discusses what went wrong in the final moments of qualifying.
After a strong start to Saturday, things seemed to be going Lando Norris’s way. He found himself P1 after a blistering lap in FP3, showing strong potential for a good qualifying result. He spoke about the car’s performance after the session.
“Yeah, I think, I mean, good enough, you know, for a top three, probably not good enough for pole. Hard to know how much was maybe the medium tyre performing a little bit better, especially when the grip comes up.”
Despite the car’s performance, tire choice was always going to play a key role in race strategy. Norris had this to say about his team’s choice of tires in the final running session on Saturday.
“Maybe the mediums are a touch better, but it was a gamble. It’s a risk, and I guess every team has their own opinion on what they thought was best, and we didn’t think that was going to be better.”
A top five finish possible
McLaren seems to have built one of the strongest cars this season. However, staying clean is crucial on a weekend as tight as this one. When asked about his hopes for Sunday, Norris set his sights on a top-five finish.
“That’s tough to say. I think we’re maybe a little bit quicker than some of the cars ahead, but they’re not all of them, so top five is probably a good start.”
The Canadian Grand Prix is known for throwing up surprises, including one of the longest weather-related red flags in Formula 1 history. Despite not securing the Sunday start he was hoping for, Norris does hold cautious hope for a high finishing position come the end of the race. He starts the race in P7, alongside the scarlet Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
