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Lando Norris was the shining star of McLaren for most of the season, taking four podiums, but in Italy it was Daniel Ricciardo who ended the team’s nine-year wait for a win.
Norris, who has spent his entire Formula 1 career at McLaren, dutifully celebrated the team’s celebrations 13 days ago, but it was his turn to take center stage on Saturday at the Russian Grand Prix. Norris took a surprising pole position in a wet / dry qualifying at the Sochi Autodrom, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz an unlikely second and Williams’ George Russell an equally unexpected third.
It was not only the first pole position in Formula 1 for third-season driver Norris, but also the first pole position for McLaren in Formula 1 in 3,227 days. McLaren’s last Pole was won by Lewis Hamilton in Brazil in 2012.
Lando Norris celebrates his first career F1 pole in Russia on Saturday.
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But how did it happen?
Max Verstappen, winner of eight of the 14 poles in 2021, started the day knowing he would be the last to start due to an engine penalty, so he only did one installation lap to qualify.
Charles Leclerc, who took two pole positions this year, found himself in a similar situation.
And then there was the weather. Heavy rain lashed the Sochi Autodrom until Saturday and forced the cancellation of the last training session, whereby the Formula 2 and Formula 3 support events were also excluded. It’s the worst weather Formula 1 has seen at the coastal town since Sochi was added to the schedule in 2014.
Conditions improved in time for the scheduled start of qualifying and the drivers needed the mixed-weather intermediate tires for most of the three-stage session.
But in the middle of the Q3 pole shootout, the crossover point was reached and it was dry enough for slicks – and the drivers came to make the move.
World champion Hamilton, who was the fastest at the time, made an uncharacteristic mistake when he slid into the wall as he entered the pit lane and bridged damage to the left side of the car. Mercedes was able to carry out a quick repair, but even without this incident, he didn’t have enough time to get his slick tires into the best operating window for the conditions. Then he spun on slicks anyway on his only hot lap.
Lewis Hamilton celebrates his pole position for McLaren in 2012 – the last pole for McLaren until Norris’ pole position in Russia on Saturday.
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Norris, who finished second in the wet, used his slick tires to move the fastest while other early switchers to the Sainz and Russell slicks snap in behind the Briton.
“It feels amazing,” said Norris. “To dream about it since I was a little kid … but now it happens. I think there have been a few times this season where I got close and had the opportunity but I missed it, sometimes my mistakes, sometimes the team, but today we brought it together. One thing that makes it even better is the risk you have to take on such a lap, the unknown of going into a corner and just hoping for the best, when you get through the exit you’re like a downer, more to go! In the end it was all worth it. “
Hamilton has confessed his mistakes, but has a realistic chance of winning number 100 from fourth on the grid. None of the three leading drivers has won a race, while Hamilton’s Mercedes team is unbeaten in seven attempts at the Sochi Autodrom.
“I’m really sorry for all of the teams that are here and those in the factory because that’s not what you expect from a champion,” he said. “Very bad grip, very slippery when you don’t have a temperature. I lost my temperature during the lap. Twice in the wall, that’s very rare for me. “
With four different teams in the top 4 and some surprising names up front, the long 800-meter plus run up to the first braking point is sure to be an eye-catcher in the race on Sunday.
F1 Grand Prix qualification of Russia
How they will line up on Sunday
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari
- George Russell, Williams
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
- Fernando Alonso, alpine
- Valtterri Bottas, Mercedes
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull
- Esteban Ocon, Alps
- Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
- Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
- Yuki Tsunoda, Alpha Tauri
- Nicholas Latifi, Williams
- Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo
- Mick Schumacher, Haas
- Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo
- Nikita Mazepin, Haas
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- * Max Verstappen, Red Bull
* Grid penalty for engine changes.
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