A time of 1:21.012 saw Lando Norris top the field in the frenetic session to set the grid for today’s Sprint race, just 0.063s ahead of George Russell in P2 who continued the momentum from his dominance in Las Vegas. Oscar Piastri reinforced McLaren’s advantage over the field with a P3 finish as just over a tenth separated the top three.
The Sprint race represents the first opportunity this weekend for McLaren to further their championship charge, and converting these starting positions to a 1-2 finish would put them in the best position to clinch the title this weekend.
Speaking after setting his pole time, Lando said that while McLaren expected to perform well here, optimisations made to his car between practice and Sprint qualifying helped; “We made good improvements between practice and Sprint Qualifying and the team did a great job with the car, which gave me a lot of confidence.”
Oscar Piastri was slightly more critical of his own lap, saying “it wasn’t the best lap I’ve ever done, but with the tricky conditions, most people on the grid probably feel the same.” But he also echoed Norris’ sentiment about confidence: “This track is pretty mega to drive around, so I’m feeling confident for tomorrow. Let’s see what we can do.”
Confidence is key around the flowing, fast Lusail International Circuit but McLaren are aware that the field is tight so extending their 24-point lead in the standings won’t be simple. Andrea Stella, their team principal, spoke to this post-session, he said, “we have to recognise that Mercedes are within the same tenth of a second and Ferrari are starting just behind us, so we have another very compact field again.”
“We need to remain focused and work hard to maximise the potential of the car in the Sprint event, if we want to score as many points as possible,” he said, which will of course be their aim over today and the rest of the weekend.
