Two mistakes too many
There McLaren will open its 2024 Formula 1 season from the fourth row. Lando Norris And Oscar Piastri they in fact closed the qualifications for the Bahrain GP respectively in seventh and eighth position in a spectacular Q3 which saw positions from third to ninth being within approximately two tenths. A very compact scrum package that increases the regret by Norris himself, who made a couple of mistakes on his fastest lap which prevented him from gaining further positions.
“I made a mistake in turn 1 and another in turn 4 – declared the #4 from Woking to the official Formula 1 channel – if I had improved by a tenth I would have gained a few positions, but when the wind died down the car came to life. We already knew it from pre-season testing: once the temperature cools down, the car feels right.”. A detailed and interesting indication, which however goes against the trend with the meteorological expectations for tomorrow.
“They told me it will be warmer tomorrow – Norris admitted again – and yesterday I didn't do more than 10 or 12 laps after having problems in the long runs. Even after my stint yesterday, however, the pace was good. I'm confident we can have a good race, but we need to optimize everything“.
Plates: difficult session, but…
The day was more difficult for Oscar Piastri, who he acknowledged having met significant difficulties in both Q1 and Q2. The Australian, who had some problems with the break by wire, however also provided some interesting reflections on the performances of Red Bull and Ferrari, which appeared – from his point of view – less dominant than expected: “Bahrain is not suitable for us – explained #81 – but if some aspects fall into place, we are in a fight. Red Bull and Ferrari are not as fast as we expected, so I expect a fluctuating trend over the course of the season. It was a difficult day, I didn't feel comfortable with the car compared to yesterday. In Q1 and Q2 I struggled a lot. In Q3 it went better, but I still struggled a bit“.
#Regret #Norris #mistakes
