Lando Norris confirmed once again that he is the man to beat in this season’s final stages. The British McLaren driver, after dominating the Sprint Race, secured pole position in the “official” qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix. The pressure on teammate Oscar Piastri is immense, as the Australian dropped nine points behind Norris after crashing in the Sprint and could only manage fourth place in qualifying.
Lando Norris on qualifying
After the session, during the usual post-qualifying interviews, Lando Norris appeared particularly confident about his performance and the work done over the weekend. “Today was tough on track because of the conditions. The track was slippery and inconsistent, but it’s fun. It’s always a pleasure here. I felt good. I was a little under pressure because I made a mistake on my first lap, so there was slightly more stress than I would have liked, but I stayed calm and put it all together when it counted. I’m very happy with that.”
He continued: “At the moment we are in excellent shape. The team has given me a great car, so I always have to thank them. But I didn’t make life easy for them or for myself. I still had to push, and after locking up in Turn 1, it added unnecessary pressure. Still, I managed to do a solid job. When I have a good rhythm, stay calm, and put everything together, that’s when I feel at my best.”
Looking ahead to the race, Lando Norris added: “Regarding tomorrow’s race, I’ve learned that they [Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli] are quite fast and that Kimi pushes until the very end. For some rivals I’m looking forward to it, for others maybe not. It will be a great challenge, and tomorrow I’ll also have to see how the weather develops.”
Referring again to Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli, he joked: “So far this weekend has been clean, and I hope they don’t ruin it for me.”
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