Lando Norris bemoans ‘shocking’ sprint qualifying lap as P4 start awaits

Lando Norris dubbed his best effort in SQ3 as “shocking” at the United States Grand Prix on Friday, having qualified fourth for Saturday’s sprint.

Max Verstappen took pole position for the first time since the sprint in Austria in July, three places ahead of title rival Norris with a chance to score World Championship points in the sprint in Austin on Saturday.

Lando Norris brands SQ3 lap ‘shocking’ at COTA

The McLaren driver will be on the second row behind three other drivers from three different constructors, with Red Bull’s Verstappen on pole, Mercedes driver George Russell having gone just 0.012s slower, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third.

Norris is looking for every opportunity he can to reel in points against his title rival and, while the bulk of what is on offer will be handed out in Sunday’s race, eight points for top spot in the sprint could prove pivotal come the end of the season.

When asked about his day’s work, the McLaren driver was happy to have qualified where he did, given he was not in the best position throughout free practice, but was simultaneously bemused at the lap he put together in SQ3.

“Not very good, P4, so not a great day,” Norris admitted after the session.

“Been struggling the whole day, honestly, with the balance and the setup. So anyway, happy with P4 because I felt like it could have been a lot worse, but my lap was shocking.

“So yeah, not a terrible day. Could have been worse, could have been better, but I’ll take it.”

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With only one hour of free practice for which drivers could get their eyes in around the Circuit of The Americas, Norris admitted he was unable to get much of a read on McLaren’s race pace.

Looking ahead, however, he is still looking to break into the top three if he can in the sprint on Saturday.

“No, not really,” Norris replied when asked if it was possible to look at the team’s long-run speed.

“I mean, I hope to go forward, that’s my plan, but on pace I think we are where we deserve to be today.

“So my plan’s to move forward, but I have no idea how much we can.”

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