AUSTIN – Coming into the United States Grand Prix, discussion around the Formula 1 world focused on McLaren. The Woking-based team have taken the lead of the Constructors’ Championship with Oscar Piastri’s victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, will they be able to hold off Red Bull and Ferrari? With McLaren extending that lead thanks to Lando Norris’s impressive victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, can he chase down Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship?
However, his week in Austin did not start off well. But when he might have needed it most, Norris delivered a “beautiful lap” to clinch pole position for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
“It was a beautiful lap,” Norris said trackside with James Hinchcliffe after qualifying. “I wasn’t going any faster than I did. You know when you just do a lap, you know… when you just do a lap and you think, ‘Hey, this is going to be hard to beat.’ But I risked everything. And this is what we needed to do.
“The whole weekend we were almost on the back foot. Norris further said, we do not have the speed of Ferrari or Red Bulls. “So I had to do something. And today, I did that. So yes, a good lap and a good way to start the race tomorrow.”
At the FIA press conference moments later, Norris described his lap in Q3 as the best of his career.
“I think it was probably the best of my career. Yes, it was a pretty good lap. I kind of set the bar too high because on my second lap, I was like, ‘Guys, I don’t think I’m going to improve much here.’ So yeah, I mean, I took everything out of the car,” Norris explained. “We changed a good amount from the sprint race to the quali today and definitely took a step forward. But man, I was still struggling a lot. So I just knew I had to take a little more risk and give a little extra. And it came together perfectly. But it was definitely not a lap I could repeat. So I’m very happy because I really wasn’t expecting to be here today.”
Starting alongside him will be Verstappen, who was probably on his way to pole position himself when George Russell’s crash ended the session.
“So I knew the second lap, you know, was the time to find free, but never really got to that corner. So, I mean, it happens, you know, in qualifying, it’s not always under your control,” Verstappen said. “However, I think in general, for us, this whole weekend has been very positive so far. We could have at least fought for pole and that has taken a lot of time.”
But the story of Saturday evening here in Austin — beyond the Texas-Georgia game — was Norris’ “beautiful lap,” which came when the team needed it most. Norris’ P3 meant that McLaren only scored six points in the F1 sprint race. That result, when combined with Verstappen’s win, moved Red Bull two points closer to McLaren.
It also meant that Verstappen pulled two points ahead of Norris in the Drivers’ Championship.
Now Norris will have the advantage on Sunday when big points are on offer.
However, the biggest piece of the puzzle may be tire wear, which is hindering Norris in F1 sprint races. The McLaren driver made a fast start and gained two positions in the first few turns on Saturday to move into second behind Verstappen. But he ultimately finished third, and admitted after the sprint race that his tires were flat by the end.
Norris will do his homework tonight, and he hopes it will pay off in the “tough” United States Grand Prix.
“I mean, I’ll do my homework. “We have already made some changes to hopefully improve that direction,” Norris said. “But time will tell. So we will work hard. We have done a good job so far. Box number one was ticked.
“But tomorrow’s race is going to be tough.”