Lando Norris’ F1 São Paulo GP Sprint Qualifying delivered him pole position for Saturday’s race. The McLaren driver topped the timesheets with a 1:09.243 lap time. He finished just slightly ahead of teammate and championship rival, Oscar Piastri. Kimi Antonelli split them.
Difficult track conditions challenge Norris
Despite claiming pole position during the São Paulo GP Sprint Qualifying session, Norris admitted he wasn’t at his absolute best. Speaking to the official F1 channel in the TV pen, the British driver reflected candidly. “Not at my best, but good enough today. I struggled a little bit more in FP1,” Norris said.
Norris explained the unique difficulties of this Interlagos track. “I mean, it’s a difficult track. It’s an amazing track to drive, but difficult, easy to get just timings wrong, bumps wrong. And I still got a couple of little bits here or there wrong on my final lap, but still quick enough.”
The McLaren driver also highlighted the strategic challenge of judging tyre performance on softs versus the harder medium compound.
“I think it’s always tricky also when you go onto the soft tyre. Do you push 20% more, 10%, 5%? Do you actually back it off a little bit? But a good enough lap for pole, so I’m very happy,” he stated.
Norris’ F1 São Paulo GP Sprint Qualifying still saw him perform despite these uncertainties.
Sprint Race strategy
Looking ahead to Saturday after his F1 São Paulo GP sprint qualifying performance, Norris expressed cautious optimism about his chances. With Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes separating him from Piastri on the grid, Norris has an advantage. When asked about potentially cruising to victory, his response was straightforward: “I mean, that’s my plan.“
However, weather forecasts could dramatically alter the race dynamics. Norris expects challenging conditions on Saturday morning. “Yeah, we’ll see tonight,” he stated regarding the predicted weather. “Of course, we have to prepare for both conditions. I mean, I expect the morning to be heavy rain and incredibly windy at the same time.”
The McLaren driver remained realistic about the uncertainty while maintaining confidence in his car.
“So let’s wait and see what’s going to happen. In dry conditions, confident at the minute. I think the car’s been performing well,” Norris stated before continuing, “Not nice enough that I’m happy about everything. I’ve only got some things to maybe improve on for quali tomorrow.“
Norris’ result puts him in prime position to maximise points. “The sprint race, let’s see if I can cruise to victory. That’d be beautiful,” Norris concluded.
Norris’ F1 São Paulo GP sprint qualifying performance puts him in control for Saturday’s race. The McLaren driver will aim to maximize his championship points from pole position whether conditions are wet or dry.
