Lando Norris has reflected positively on his P3 finish in qualifying for the F1 British GP, describing the session as tough but “good fun”.
Norris qualified just 0.028 seconds off of polesitter Max Verstappen, after strong showings in each practice session prior to qualifying.
The McLaren driver will be looking to score some major points at his home race on Sunday to close the gap between himself and teammate Oscar Piastri in the championship, the latter currently sitting 15 points ahead.
Norris: McLaren “not quick enough” in F1 British GP qualifying
Norris expressed that he was pleased with his third place finish, while Verstappen in front was uncatchable for either McLaren driver.
“Good qualifying and you know I’m not going to be unhappy with third,” he said. “Of course I’d love to be on top here in Silverstone, but Max did a good job, not quick enough for us today.
“But still, a fun qualifying. Qualifying here at Silverstone is pretty fast and it’s enjoyable and good fun. Yeah, not the top but still a good day.”
Fast corners and highly changeable winds have made Silverstone a challenging track to navigate this weekend. Norris highlighted the importance of perfecting the small details for a decent lap:
“Little things today put you ahead of behind. Like, you saw how close Q1 was, which was pretty shocking, and I guess good at the same time.
“But yeah, little margins, little mistakes, little things. You’re talking a couple of hundredths here and there can win or lose you the game today.
He continued: “So tough, especially with the wind and the conditions. A little bit of rain every now and then. But still, all good fun and still happy with the third.”
Norris: F1 British GP qualifying “as smooth as I could ask for”
Norris recounted no major issues at all during qualifying, describing it as a “smooth” session, despite a particularly close Q1. While some minor niggles with grip and balance might have cost him a higher position, he seemed unfazed by his overall performance.
“Reasonably smooth,” he said of the session as a whole. “As smooth as I could probably ask for. Most of my laps were all pretty decent. Q1 was the only little nervous one just with how close it was from the front to last really.
“Otherwise, all good. Most laps always improved and found good lap time. Probably just my final one, would have hoped to find just that little bit more. Just didn’t quite get the grip out of it in some corners, and the right balance, but I’m still happy with third.”
This year, the tyres Pirelli has provided for the F1 British GP are one grade softer than the year previous. When asked how this might affect the race, Norris responded: “Certainly it can be a factor.
“It was very warm yesterday comparing to today and then comparing to what it’s going to be tomorrow. There’s also some rain expected for tomorrow, so let’s wait and see.
“I think it could still be a difference in strategies. Like Oscar said, every car gets lap time quite differently. We probably seem a little bit more in the middle of both a Red Bull and a Ferrari, but I think it can easily make a lot of opportunity come everyone’s way tomorrow. So probably expecting a tough, but an exciting race.”
Norris anticipating a fun and challenging F1 British GP
With reigning World Champion Max Verstappen and fierce teammate Oscar Piastri in front, and Mercedes and Ferrari drivers who have been looking strong all weekend behind, Norris won’t be in for an easy ride. But nevertheless, he’s anticipating a very enjoyable race:
“I think it’s going to be fun tomorrow. I think it’s going to be a good battle between the three of us. Probably more, with Lewis, with Charles behind, with George as well. It’s going to be an interesting Sunday, so I’m looking forward to it.”
With rain on the forecast for tomorrow, the F1 British GP will be all to play for. While Mercedes are the most obvious rival, with George Russell starting alongside Norris, the McLaren driver did not rule out threat of Ferrari due to their high level of downforce:
“I expect everyone, probably more so the Ferraris because they’re the highest downforce of the lot. Their high-speed performance is pretty impressive and a good step better than ours even.
“So, I would probably more likely say Ferrari, but I just wouldn’t rule out the Mercedes as well. I think they’re quick. George is always there in those kind of races where there are a lot of opportunities and unpredictable weather, things like that.”
He continued: “So, opportunity for everyone, but I think the Ferraris are the ones who have been very quick since FP1. Very quick in high speed, and that normally always helps in the rain.”
Norris: McLaren and Red Bull closely matched for speed
When asked if the light downforce of Verstappen’s Red Bull rear wing might lend itself in McLaren’s favour, Norris refused to predict too much:
“It’s hard, honestly, to know until you get behind and you have the dirty air and DRS and things like that.
“To be honest, at the minute, our DRS speed probably just about matches Max’s speed. So, I think it’ll be tough because we’ll probably catch him in the high speed, but we just won’t really close much when we open the DRS. I think it can be tough, but there’s also probably more opportunities than a normal race.”
He continued: “Like they [Piastri and Verstappen] both said, between everyone, we’re fast and slow in different places. You look at Red Bull Ring and you say Red Bull Ring is high-speed, but comparing to Silverstone, it’s quite medium-speed. Here is definitely high-speed, and it’s probably highlighted a few more of our weaknesses.
“We’ve performed very well in the slower and medium-speed tracks, some of the higher speed, we’re not bad, but we always seem to lose out to Max and the Red Bull, like Oscar said, in Japan, here, things like that. So, yeah, clearly things to work on. But I think we go into the race tomorrow, there’s still plenty of opportunity for us.”
