After an incredible battle for the pole during Qualifying, McLaren’s Lando Norris had to settle for a P2 start at the F1 Spanish GP in favour of his teammate. The stakes were high, especially since some of the best overtakes on the Barcelona-Catalunya track happen in Turn 1. Unfortunately for Norris, a +0.209 made the difference for tomorrow’s Race.
This is not the first time, and probably not the last, when the Papaya drivers take hold of the front row with a 1-2 start. Consequently, they also occupy the first and second positions in the Drivers’ Championship. With Lando Norris at a 3-point deficit to the Australian, the Spanish Grand Prix could put additional pressure on McLaren.
Parc Ferme reflections after a close call
With the way Norris drove through the Free Practice session at the F1 Spanish GP, P1 seemed to be his to claim in Qualifying. However, during the last stint in Q3, the sectors just were not adding up. The Briton shared his overall thoughts on his results, praising Piastri:
“Oscar [Piastri] drove very well. I think the pace is definitely there. Just a couple of little mistakes, but yeah, didn’t do it. And Oscar, like I said, was driving well all weekend. So, a good result for the team, a nice one-two, and an interesting start for tomorrow.”
When two teammates who compete for the same time start alongside each other, Turn 1 can turn quite sour. Yet, Lando Norris hopes for an “easy race” from the F1 Spanish GP, choosing to avoid an unfavourable battle with his teammate.
“I mean, hopefully not. Hopefully, it’s just an easy race for me. But no, I expected it. It’s a long run down to Turn 1 — normally always interesting. I mean, we’ve got a lot of quick guys behind us, so we won’t count them out. But no, good result for today. I’m happy.”
After the never-ending discussions this season on which team possesses the fastest car, the British driver gave a simple answer. He admitted his McLaren will be quite a force to reckon with on the Spanish soil:
“We do. We have the best one.”
Getting all the potential out of the MCL38
During the first flying lap of Q3, Lando Norris undoubtedly occupied the P1 spot for the F1 Spanish GP. The McLaren driver recognised his chances of beating that initial time were there, yet the second lap fell flat. Norris reviewed all the errors which caused him to lose pole:
“Just a couple little mistakes. Turn 1 – which is kind of the first place you don’t want to make a mistake, just because it harms the rest of the lap with the tyres and things. So just a couple of little squiggles there and the exit of Turn 4 as well. So, just not a perfect lap, not the cleanest lap, but still improved, surprisingly. So the pace was easily there. Just a couple too many mistakes.”
Nevertheless, not all hope is lost for the Spanish Grand Prix. Norris underlined the biggest issues for tomorrow’s race – the heat and tyre degradation. Still, he remains confident in himself and his McLaren.
“Yeah, good. We’ve been good in all conditions so far. It’s obviously very hot. So, like Oscar [Piastri] said, just a bit of a struggle for everyone. It’s a struggle in quali to look after the tyres for one lap, so the race is then much trickier. But the car has been good the whole weekend, as you’ve shown today. So yeah, that’s always reassuring before Sunday.”
In terms of the tow Norris might have picked up from his teammate at the start of Q3, the Briton believed it made no difference:
“Hard to say. It was short-lived, but rightly so. So no, don’t think so.”
Qualifying improvements
At last week’s Monaco GP, Lando Norris spoke of all the work he has been putting in improving his Saturdays. Despite his near miss of pole for the F1 Spanish GP, Norris underlined the positives he noticed. The McLaren driver spoke of understeer and other issues, which caused him to only get P2:
“Yeah. The speed was easily there today. And sometimes you just don’t put the laps in. Today was good. I think I was a little bit behind at the start of qualifying, and I caught up nicely. I know where I lost that time on the final lap.
“It was just trying a little bit too much and just not being quite tidy enough, especially around a lap like Barcelona. One little oversteer in Turn 1, Turn 2, you kind of already know it’s going to be a tricky rest of the lap. So, it’s still good. I still feel fine. I’m happy with second, especially in Barcelona – it’s not the end of the world. So, a positive weekend.”
The question of Piastri’s tow was brought up a second time, this time in regards to whether the drivers planned it. Norris jokingly admitted to this conspiracy, however, he rectified the confusion and settled the debate. The Briton explained his lack of luck when searching for some slipstream and ending up behind his teammate:
“We planned it the whole weekend! No. I didn’t know Oscar was going out first, to be honest. I tried to get a slipstream from someone. I think I was unlucky that it was Oscar. It was just a coincidence. I was tenth or something in the queue. I don’t know who I’m going to get a slipstream from because you’re waiting two minutes in the pit lane. So yeah, just coincidence.”
