Lando Norris says it was good to see his McLaren F1 team back to the sharp end of the grid on Monza National Circuit, especially after the tough one Grand Prix of Holland last weekend.
McLaren fought for performance at the Zandvoort race track, with Norris scoring the only point for the team for tenth place, but Friday’s qualifying at Monza saw significantly improved pace from the MCL35M, allowing him to be a top three contender throughout the session.
Ultimately, Norris had to be content with fourth place Max Verstappen ahead of him in his last run but his position on the grid gives him a chance to fight for points for the remainder of the weekend.
“I’m happy with today – we’re in a much better position again after last weekend and we seem to be a lot more competitive,” said Norris. “I think it’s the perfect way to start the weekend.
“If I had completely merged the lap, it would be possible to finish P3 – but one small mistake, I think, cost us. It’s a bit of a shame that I missed it, but fourth place still puts us in a very good position compared to the people we’re really up against and fighting with this weekend and for the championship.
“I’m happy – and it’s a great way to recover after the last week.”
“We were quick and fought for the top 3 on the grid” – Daniel Ricciardo
Teammate Daniel Ricciardo was happy to finish fifth but, like Norris, was frustrated getting as close to third as she was.
The Australian has that Italian Grand Prix Weekend positive and took the lead, but the fact that he finished just 0.006 seconds behind Norris and 0.029 seconds behind Verstappen left him frustrated.
“From a general point of view, I’m happy,” said Ricciardo. “We were quick and fought for the top 3 on the grid, so I’m glad we had the potential. But I’m so frustrated that we got that close, but not quite close enough. It was more of a joke than anything, but it’s all good.
“I think the team performance is great. We didn’t get into a difficult situation on any of the out laps and I was in the right places on the track, we had good tows.
“My only frustration is that it’s so close and unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the millisecond. It is what it is and I am now looking forward to the race. “
Daniel Ricciardo will start fifth for the sprint qualification race in Monza on Saturday – Photo: McLaren F1 Team
The post Lando Norris: “We are much better positioned again after last weekend” first appeared on monter-une-startup.
