Lando Norris feels he missed an opportunity to take pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix after qualifying down in seventh place.
The McLaren driver was the fastest of all in the second phase of qualifying to become the first driver into the final shootout for pole position.However, heavy rain became imminent in the minutes before Q3 began and Norris was the seventh of the 10 drivers to leave the pit lane. As the conditions rapidly deteriorated even before the rain arrived, Norris set only the seventh-fastest time in Q3 – slower than all drivers who had run ahead of him in the order.
Norris admitted a potential opportunity to fight for pole position had gone begging in the final session with how strong his car felt.
“It was great, honestly,” he said. “The car was amazing – easily, probably quick enough to be quickest today and then on pole. So pretty gutted to end the way we did.”
Norris lamented another disappointing qualifying result after similar frustrations in Qatar and last weekend in Mexico.
“I don’t know what feel about it,” he said. “I think the car was amazing, it came alive a lot in qualifying. Easily good enough to be quickest, I’d say.
“Obviously delivering the lap and putting it together in Q3 and everything’s a different job. But easily quick enough, so disappointed. Another disappointing [Friday], but not a lot we could’ve done.”
With Saturday dedicated to sprint qualifying and the sprint race, Norris says he sees an opportunity for him and McLaren in those sessions ahead of Sunday’s grand prix.
“I look forward to tomorrow,” he said. “The car’s good, but I don’t know if it’s going to be good in the wet and if it’s meant to be wet or dry tomorrow. But in the dry, should be quick enough.”
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2023 Brazilian Grand Prix
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Robert Henning
3rd November 2023, 21:40
Now I can understand why he refuses to go to RB. He’s fast but when it matters he is one of the biggest bottlers I’ve seen.
The Nowins slander name is going to go on for a while.
Doggy
3rd November 2023, 23:23
I don’t think he is necessarily one of the biggest bottlers. Is just that he is not a Max/Lewis’ level.
In my opinion Lando and Leclerc are on the same level.
Robert Henning
3rd November 2023, 23:44
Maybe but I don’t think Leclerc and Norris are comparable. Leclerc is magic when it matters while Norris is the opposite. I’d also not put Hamilton in any list. He just took himself out of a race just two races ago. Too inconsistent nowadays. Lando doesn’t perform when he has the car and Leclerc just doesn’t have the car
Doggy
4th November 2023, 0:20
Interesting observation. If you were to make a list of the best 5 drivers (currently) in the grid Who would you choose?
I think that Max, Alonso, Lewis, Lecrerc, and Lando are the best in 2023.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th November 2023, 8:22
I agree with all 5 names on your list, since russell seems to have disappointed, my expectations were that he would have matched\beaten hamilton, and although he scored more points last year it’s not certainly for speed reasons.
melanos
5th November 2023, 20:01
Max, Alonso, Lando, Carlos. Charles. In that specific order.
anon
4th November 2023, 9:57
Robert Henning, mind you, Leclerc has had a few disappointing results this season too – you have to admit that he put in a poor performance at the Spanish GP.
Carsten Nielsen (@carstenb)
3rd November 2023, 21:40
I really don’t understand what they were thinking at McLaren. Having a quick car but throwing the opportunity out the window. That the rain was coming wasn’t a surprise looking at the sky.
Mark (@mrcento)
3rd November 2023, 22:12
It’s bizarre, isn’t it?, Rule number 1 when you know rain is coming fairly imminently, Don’t try to be clever and just get a lap in ASAP. Even if it’s not a great one, as Verstappen and the Astons showed, it’s probably going to be significantly better than what you or anyone else will be able to do with a near perfect lap when the conditions start to turn.
Markp
3rd November 2023, 23:06
McLaren look to be the fastest car here. Come the race it will be a case of how quick he can get into 2nd and if he then has enough time to overtake Verstappen. Race pace maybe different story though as Verstappens race pace even if slower may not be overcome due to the starting positions. As long as he stays out of trouble this should be a Norris v Verstappen race in the dry.
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
3rd November 2023, 22:16
Norris is getting delusional. Should been on pole and won in the last 5 races. Concentrate on performing.
Edvaldo
3rd November 2023, 22:49
Exactly. It’s becoming a joke already. At least Oscar didn’t beat him today cuz he would certainly say something even more absurd had that happened.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th November 2023, 8:25
Yes, many of those “should be” poles were very wishful thinking, I think verstappen proved throughout 2023 that even just to beat him to pole you need more than a chance, you have qualis like monaco where there were several drivers being very quick on different cars, yet no one managed to beat the usual suspect.
MichaelN
4th November 2023, 14:14
He’s hyping up the work done by the team, which in a sense is fair enough. They have come a long way since essentially redoing the car. But it’s a tricky balance, because if he keeps saying the car is great – and there are no big results, then people are going to wonder what Norris and Piastri are doing wrong.