Where do you go to look for twenty thousandths of a second? This was the margin that separated poleman Lando Norris from Max Verstappen at the end of qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, but before praising the McLaren driver’s great lap, a premise is necessary. When Verstappen returned to parc fermé at the end of Q3, the world champion’s smile was that of the best days, even more sparkling than other occasions in which between qualifying and the race he confirmed himself in first position.
Shortly after, Helmut Marko appeared, and he too seemed less than displeased with the day’s verdicts. “Disappointed? No, I’m relieved – he explained – after the third free practice session we weren’t at all sure of finding ourselves in the first two rows of the grid. So that’s fine too, then of course, with twenty thousandths of a margin you can even believe that pole position was within reach, but in the end it was turn 4 that made the difference, at that point we lost to Lando”.
Marko is sincere when he says that after the last free practice session in the Red Bull garage there were less certainties than usual, but at the end of Q2 pole seemed to be in Verstappen’s hands. It took a cinematic lap from Norris to change the ranking, with Lando able to lower his Q2 time by a good half a second, making his pit wall and the entire team explode with joy, having just returned from a morning that was anything but. than simple due to a fire that broke out in the hospitality area.
“I took some risks at turns 9 and 14 – Lando then revealed – but on the other hand if you don’t do that you won’t gain ground. In those sections you feel that the car is really at its limit, it doesn’t give you great confidence, but after Q2 I saw that I was losing two tenths from Max precisely in the two corners where I didn’t feel comfortable. So I told myself I would try, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
The feat is a mix, with Norris increasingly in top-driver format and a single-seater that continues to amaze with its ability to remain competitive as the types of tracks and conditions vary. “It is now clear that McLaren has recovered a lot in the last few races – reiterated Marko – they have a universal car for all tracks, temperatures and tyres”.
![Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing](https://cdn.motorsport.com/images/mgl/0rGmwaq2/s1000/max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg)
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
And speaking of tyres, at Red Bull the hunt for the fateful twenty thousandths also led to the analysis of pressures. “It’s incredible – confirmed Marko – we have incredible technology at our disposal, we spend hours in the simulators and then you always find yourself hoping to have found the correct tire pressure, otherwise… it’s always the last, crucial element that makes the difference ”. However, Verstappen didn’t complain about anything in terms of grip, on the contrary, Max said he was happy to have felt the car well for the first time in qualifying.
Now the question mark ahead of the race will be the validity of the setup changes that Red Bull made after the FP3 session. “If we take Friday’s long runs, McLaren is clearly the favorite – explained Christian Horner – but with the set-up changes we can also assume that tire wear will improve”.
Norris doesn’t want to hear about favourites, for him Max (and also Hamilton) will be very tough opponents to keep at bay. But behind the facade there is optimism, Lando has everything to aim for his second victory of the season. “At the moment the only problem is that I lost a pair of shoes that I really liked,” he joked, referring to the hospitality fire. For the rest, on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix, no one is in a better position than him.
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