Lando Norris has a fantastic opportunity to secure a Sprint win at the Shanghai circuit.
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
The race has returned to the Formula 1 calendar after a five-year break. The first sprint weekend of the season at the Shanghai circuit may pose challenges for multiple teams. However, the modifications to the sprint format allowed the teams and drivers to relax as it gave them more time to get the setup right. Therefore, amidst the qualifying race for the Sprint, Norris claimed the pole position for the sprint race.
Norris had an eventful qualifying session where his lap that won him the pole was initially invalidated. However, Norris regained the pole start for the Sprint race when his lap was reinstated. As a result, the 24-year-old will begin the race from the pole position.
Consequently, Norris expressed his extreme happiness after securing the pole. Additionally, the British driver acknowledged the difficult conditions and how he felt nervous despite the impressive pace of the MCL38 challenger.
Norris also mentioned that he consistently caught up with the Ferraris ahead of him throughout the session. The 24-year-old had to abandon both of his initial laps and had to give it his all during the final lap. Nevertheless, the pole position came as a pleasant surprise for Norris as he is now poised to potentially achieve his first career sprint victory. Furthermore, the ‘challenges’ highlighted by other teams prevented them from showcasing a dominant performance in Shanghai.
Lando Norris: It was. I am extremely happy first of all. It was tricky. I was quite happy with how it was dry, we had good pace, but I was nervous. I kept catching the Ferrari’s and the first two laps, I aborted on both so it was all or nothing.
Despite securing the pole position, Lando Norris admitted feeling nervous during the session. The rain-soaked SQ2 further added uncertainties to the teams’ strategies. Norris stated that he took significant risks and pushed himself to achieve such a start for the sprint.
However, the British driver expressed his dissatisfaction with the qualifying session not being a genuine session. Therefore, the 24-year-old will strive to secure a pole position for the Chinese GP.
Additionally, Norris emphasized that McLaren’s desire was to finish at the top. Hence, the team’s improving form in recent races is evident. Consequently, the pole position came as a ‘pleasant surprise’ for the British driver. The team has the potential to secure a race victory at the Chinese GP considering the issues faced by other teams.
The Chinese GP has started off well for McLaren as the team aims to potentially win the race. Lando Norris is still waiting to achieve his first victory in his Formula 1 career. Therefore, the Chinese weekend is crucial for the 24-year-old. As it stands, Norris has a great chance of securing the win against the highly dominant Red Bulls after the challenges they have faced.