As if it wasn't enough that it had been five years since racing had taken place in China and that the Shanghai International Circuit was hosting the first Sprint of the season, complete with a modified format compared to last year, the rain also made it even more unpredictable. Friday day. After having only threatened the Chinese track in Q1 and Q2 of the Sprint Qualifying, the clouds began to shed water just before the decisive segment began, further mixing the cards.
These conditions ended up overturning the predictions and in the end it was Lando Norris and McLaren who celebrated. A pole for the Sprint which was also tinged with yellow, because initially the Briton's time had been canceled due to an infringement of the track limits. However, after a review, the stewards decided to validate his time again, mocking Lewis Hamilton who was already anticipating a return to the pole with Mercedes.
The team principal of the Woking team, Andrea Stella, immediately clarified the matter: “We think it may have been because on the previous lap he went out at the last corner. And perhaps they thought that in this case, if he went out at the last corner, there would have been implications for the next lap. The next lap is the pole lap and that lap is completely clean. So there's no problem.”
Norris, on the other hand, didn't even mention the episode, but underlined how complicated it was to manage not to make mistakes with the track conditions getting worse from lap to lap. And, even if it won't be a pole that will end up in the statistical almanacs, he didn't hide his satisfaction with the good work done by him and the team.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“I'm very happy and first I want to thank the team, but it was very complicated, because there's always nervousness before a session like this, when you know it's going to rain at any moment. We were quite happy in the dry, because we have had a good pace so far this weekend, but I was quite nervous, because in these conditions you have to risk a lot, pushing but trying to stay on the track. I didn't do well the first two laps, but the last one was quite good for pole. Too bad it's not a real qualifying, but I'm happy,” said Norris.
“I had to abort the first two laps, so the last one was all or nothing, but it was raining harder and harder, so the conditions were getting worse and worse. I also made a couple of mistakes, but it was fun. We finished on pole and it was exactly what we wanted, even if it was a nice surprise. It's the best position for tomorrow,” he added.
Regarding his chances of trying to confirm himself in tomorrow morning's Sprint, he concluded: “This morning we did a few consecutive laps to try to understand our potential. But it will depend a lot on the weather, because there is a risk of rain tomorrow too. conditions will be these, I think we will have a good chance, the race is very different from qualifying, so I'm sure everyone will improve. But our pace is good in both the wet and the dry and we are in a good position Having said that, it's a bit of a surprise, but we did a good job and it paid off.”
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