Lando Norris took responsibility for his sixth-place qualifying position for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday, citing ‘too many mistakes’.
Despite setting the pace in the practice session and leading SQ2, Norris found himself struggling in the final Sprint Qualifying segment.
After his first SQ3 lap, he trailed his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by four-tenths of a second. On his final attempt, a lock-up at the hairpin allowed Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell to move ahead.
‘It was my mistake. I locked up in the final corner. We just weren’t fast enough today, it’s that simple,’ Norris explained. He added, ‘I struggled significantly with the car. The handling problems we’ve been experiencing were amplified today. It boils down to too many errors and a car that was simply too hard to control.’
Norris, who previously won the Australian Grand Prix, mentioned that while he secured numerous pole positions in 2024, minor errors from both him and the team have often cost them potential race victories. McLaren is actively working to address these issues, especially with Verstappen consistently capitalizing on any opportunities.
Following his third-place qualifying, Piastri expressed confidence in McLaren’s race pace for the Sprint. He suggested that the team’s Sprint Qualifying strategy might have been flawed, but anticipates a strong performance in the shorter race, highlighting McLaren’s historical strength with higher fuel loads and tire management.
Piastri noted, ‘We were quick at the wrong times. SQ1 and SQ2 felt good, but for SQ3, we experimented with going out earlier and attempting two laps, which might not have been optimal. We need to review that. However, the car’s pace remains strong, and I believe we can compete at the front.’
Verstappen, who qualified second, expressed surprise at Hamilton’s pole position and acknowledged the potential challenge from McLaren in the Sprint. He stated, ‘The balance wasn’t significantly off; we were just lacking pace. This result is a good motivator for the team to keep pushing and maximizing our performance, especially when we are not the fastest.’
Regarding McLaren’s potential, Verstappen commented, ‘They looked very quick until the final runs, so it will be difficult to keep them behind. Hopefully, it will be an enjoyable race with some good racing action.’
Verstappen’s teammate, Liam Lawson, had a disappointing qualifying, ending up in last place after an error in SQ1. Lawson explained, ‘I went off track on my second lap, which is unfortunate. The first lap was decent, and we aimed to improve from there. We stayed out to cool the tires, but I struggled to reduce their temperature. We started with tires that were too hot, and I struggled throughout the lap. It’s frustrating.’
George Russell of Mercedes, who qualified fifth, admitted being ‘surprised’ by McLaren’s performance fluctuations during qualifying. He acknowledged Hamilton’s impressive pole lap and believes Mercedes can still be competitive in the Sprint. Russell remarked, ‘P5 is probably where we expected to be today. McLaren’s performance was a bit of a surprise because they were very fast in practice and the initial qualifying sessions. It could be an interesting Sprint race.’
