Lando Norris has taken responsibility for his sixth-place qualifying position for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday, citing `too many mistakes`.
Norris showed impressive speed in practice, leading the session by a significant margin and continuing his form into Sprint Qualifying by topping SQ2.
However, in SQ3, he was slower than his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri on his first lap. On his final attempt, Norris made a mistake at the hairpin, allowing Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell to move ahead of him in the standings.
`I made a mistake. I locked up in the last corner. We just weren`t quick enough, simply,` Norris explained. He also mentioned the challenges with the car, saying, `I struggled a lot with the car. The difficulties we`ve been facing were more apparent today. It`s down to too many mistakes and a car that was too hard to handle.`
Despite securing multiple pole positions in 2024, Norris and McLaren have often missed out on race wins due to minor errors. This is an area the team is focused on improving, especially with Max Verstappen consistently ready to capitalize on any opportunities.
Norris described his performance as `more on me than the car` after `trying to push too hard`.
`I think throughout the day we`ve struggled with front-locking, particularly in the last corner with the tailwind,` he added. `It felt similar to Bahrain, just windier. We struggle more when it`s windy. Both Oscar and I struggled, but I clearly struggled more. I was pushing too hard trying to compensate for not being quite fast enough.`
Lando Norris gives his reaction after only qualifying sixth for Saturday`s Sprint in China
Piastri confident McLaren can still compete at the front
McLaren`s performance on heavy fuel loads has been strong in testing and in Melbourne. Mercedes and Red Bull have noted McLaren`s advantage in tire wear.
The Shanghai Sprint, a 19-lap race, is expected to see significant tire degradation due to its long corners.
Piastri, starting third, believes McLaren`s Sprint Qualifying strategy might have been flawed but expects the team to be competitive in the shorter race.
`We were fast at the wrong times. SQ1 and SQ2 felt good, but in SQ3, we tried something different, going out earlier and attempting two laps, which might not have been ideal. We need to review that,` Piastri stated.
`However, the car`s pace remains strong, and I`m confident we can contend at the front.`
Verstappen anticipates a challenge from McLaren
Max Verstappen`s second-place qualifying was unexpected, similar to Hamilton`s pole position.
The gap between Verstappen and Hamilton was minimal, just 0.018 seconds, marking their first shared front row since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
`The car balance wasn`t significantly off. We were simply too slow,` Verstappen admitted.
`But this is positive for us, a boost of motivation to keep pushing and maximizing our performance, which is essential when we are slightly behind on pace.`
Red Bull`s Max Verstappen was pleased with his performance after qualifying second for the Sprint
Regarding the anticipated McLaren challenge, Verstappen added, `They seemed very quick until the final runs, so holding them off will be tough. Hopefully, it will be an enjoyable race with some good racing.`
Verstappen`s teammate, Liam Lawson, had another disappointing qualifying, ending up last in SQ1 due to a mistake in the middle sector.
`I went off track on my second lap. It`s a shame. The starting point wasn`t too bad initially. The first lap was decent, and we aimed to improve from there,` Lawson explained.
`We stayed out to cool the tires, but I struggled to lower the temperatures. We started too hot, and I struggled throughout the lap. It`s frustrating.`
Liam Lawson apologises to his team after being knocked out of SQ1 and qualifying last for the Sprint
Russell `surprised` by McLaren`s pace
Mercedes didn`t contend for Sprint pole in Shanghai, with George Russell qualifying fifth and Kimi Antonelli seventh.
Russell was slightly behind Hamilton but ahead of Norris and expects to be a factor in the Sprint race.
`Pretty happy with my SQ3 lap. Credit to Lewis, it was an excellent lap,` Russell commented.
Ride onboard with Lewis Hamilton as he took a sensational pole for the Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix
`I think P5 was our realistic position today. It was unpredictable; in SQ2, I was briefly outside the top 10, then quickly jumped to P2, and it didn`t feel much different, to be honest.`
`The performance seems to fluctuate among the top teams. McLaren`s pace was a bit surprising because they were very fast in practice, SQ1, and SQ2, but Lewis and Max performed well in the end.`
`We are also close behind. We have a chance in the Sprint, and it could be an interesting race.`
Simon Lazenby explains why the Sprint format is crucial for the Chinese Grand Prix
