Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, teammates at McLaren, have captured the spotlight after a thrilling qualifying session for the Qatar Grand Prix. Piastri secured pole position, marking his sixth career pole and first since the Dutch GP in August, while Norris found himself just 0.108 seconds behind, starting from second place.
Norris expressed disappointment over a mistake on his final qualifying lap, which he attributed to running wide in Turn 2. This error came despite his strong performance in sprint qualifying the day before, where he felt more comfortable with his pace. The British driver recognized the gravity of his slip, especially considering he has had a series of commendable qualifying sessions recently.
“I was convinced I would have been on pole but I’m not now, so pretty disappointed with myself because of that,” Norris commented. He emphasized that his focus is now on the race ahead, acknowledging that a victory on Sunday would secure him his first world title, irrespective of his competitors’ results. However, if he finishes behind Piastri, the championship battle will extend to the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Norris noted that overtaking in the race could be challenging, given the starting positions. “There’s a long run down to turn one, a good opportunity for anyone to gain or lose positions,” he said. However, he expressed skepticism about significant changes in position during the race, suggesting it might be “pretty boring and straightforward.”
In a lighthearted moment, when asked about his sleep leading up to the race, he quipped, “Hopefully bad, because normally the worse I sleep the better I do!”
The implications of this race are monumental, with the potential to redefine championship standings. As the anticipation builds, it will be intriguing to see how these dynamics play out on the track.