Norris Claims He Made McLaren Look 'Bit Too Good' In Japan Qualifying
F1Monday, 08 April 2024 at 15:00
Lando Norris suggested that the made his team look perhaps a bit too good in Japan, and that's why the P5 finish came as a small disappointment.
It was expected that the Suzuka Circuit would suit McLaren, and Lando Norris confirmed this with his P3 in qualifying, with only two Red Bull drivers ahead.
However, even though the track in Japan didn't suit Ferrari last year, Norris was wary of the team from Maranello going into the race, as it was clear they had made significant progress.
The papaya driver was then overtaken by Carlos Sainz, and he would have hoped to at least finish ahead of Charles Leclerc.
However, the Monegasque driver pulled off a tire management masterclass and was able to do one stop less, which gained him too much time on Norris. In the end, the 24-year-old crossed the finish line in P5.
Speaking to the media after the race, Norris looked a bit disappointed, but he suggested that the result was, in fact, what he expected it to be.
"It was as expected to be honest with you. I don't think the Ferrari race pace was anything incredible. I don't think it's as good as what Red Bull thought it was."
"It's just like a spiral, we're fighting a losing battle. Still not a bad day, I think where we are, we expected to be in the end, which is behind Ferrari. It's where we've been all year so it should be no different, and it was no different."
There were two McLarens on the podium at Suzuka last year, and by putting his car on P3 in qualifying, Norris believes he made his team look a bit better than it actually was, which manifested itself in the race. He added:
"I think [during qualifying], we just excelled. I put in some very strong laps, and maybe made us look a bit too good. It was a bit more back to reality [during the race]."
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