Norris: "To end up on pole today is sweet"
Lando Norris was delighted to claim pole position for tomorrow's Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of McLaren team mate...
The post Norris: "To end up on pole today is sweet" appeared first on F1i.com.
Lando Norris was delighted to claim pole position for tomorrow's Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri, relegating Max Verstappen to third place on Sunday's grid.
It's the first time that McLaren has pulled off a 1-2 front row lock-out in any race since 2012, when Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were on top for the start of the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.
It's also the first McLaren pole at the Hungaroring since Hamilton in 2012 in which Hamilton went on to win the race ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.
Norris made it clear he was expecting nothing less than a win this time, having missed out on victory at Silverstone two weeks ago through a serious of miscues and errors by the team.
"To end up on pole today is sweet," he said. "As long as we stay where we are, we'll be happy. The car is doing well. I feel like I am driving well, so it is obvious what the aim is.
Asked if that meant a win tomorrow, Norris confirmed: "[That's what] I'm expecting, so if I don't it has not been a good day.
"I am very happy. It was not an easy qualifying with difficult conditions, but ending on top is always the best part of it," he said. "For the team, a one-two is even better to see so it is progress as a team."
But with the weather all over the place on Saturday, anything could happen when the lights go out to get the race underway.
"We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us, so I am looking forward to it," Norris declared in parc ferme. "With the two cars on the front row, we can control it from there."
McLaren denied that there had been crisis talks at Woking after the Silverstone issues, and Norris batted away suggestions that the pole was a much needed boost for team moral.
"We already have confidence, so it is not like we need a lot more of it or that we are searching for it," he said. "We've been improving every weekend.
"We've come into this weekend and the last few confident that we can do a good job and that we have a good car to fight for pole, and that's exactly what we did today. A great job by the team.
While having Piastri alongside him on the front row for tomorrow's start gives the team a chance to keep Verstappen bottled up, there's also a chance of conflict between the team mates into the first corner.
“Of course, I want to get into the lead but we have both cars on the front row,” Piastri admitted. “But we've got a big task ahead of us trying to win this championship as a team, so we'll be smart.
“We've got a very quick car. It's been working extremely well this weekend. We want to keep it one-two, we'll fight amongst ourselves over who gets one.”
Naturally Piastri was kicking himself for being so close to pipping Norris to pole with his final run. “I'm very happy but when I miss out by two-hundredths, you think of all the little things you can do a bit better."
It was certainly a dream outcome for Piastri who suffered a water pressure issue and damage to the floor of his car on Friday costing him time in practice.
“We had a bit of a tricky day on my side [yesterday] so it was nice to bounce back this morning," he acknowledged. “Obviously this afternoon wasn't easy, a lot of little decisions on the fly.
"To end up with both cars on the front row, it's an amazing result for the team," he added.
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The post Norris: "To end up on pole today is sweet" appeared first on F1i.com.