Lando Norris says he took further satisfaction from taking pole place for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as a result of he was in such bother with the situations early on within the qualifying session.
Qualifying began at 7:30am native time on Sunday morning because of the climate forecast, having been postponed from Saturday afternoon, and with an earlier race begin of 12:30pm to observe. Norris received Saturday’s Dash within the dry, however within the moist he solely made it by Q1 in fifteenth place and was effectively off the tempo earlier than discovering massive enhancements in a delayed session to take pole place from George Russell.
“There was rather a lot occurring immediately, however tremendous, tremendous blissful, as a result of I used to be struggling rather a lot at first of qualifying — I had numerous work to do,” Norris mentioned. “I used to be not comfy in any respect, so to finish up on pole… I labored at it rather a lot by qualifying, I had numerous areas I wanted to enhance on however I did precisely that. So a bit of bit shocked, once more — I’ve been shocked a bit of bit recently, so a bit of bit shocked to be on pole — however I felt good ultimately.”
Alex Albon was provisionally alongside Norris on the entrance row late in Q3 earlier than crashing closely and being dominated out of the race because of the injury, and the McLaren driver admits that was an added side to think about when it got here to how onerous he might push.
“Very [difficult], in all probability greater than it seems on TV at instances. You’re at all times looking for that subsequent little bit however you noticed how many individuals have been going off, so it was simple to finish up badly and find yourself in a wall or do one thing the place you won’t even make the race later immediately.
“In order that danger/reward was not simple immediately, particularly from the place I used to be in Q1 I discovered it very powerful to know, ‘How far more can I push?’ That’s why I’m blissful, as a result of it’s a relieving qualifying after one thing like this.”
Norris says he received’t be listening to how the race is unfolding behind him when it begins early this afternoon, regardless of Max Verstappen provisionally seventeenth on the grid, as he believes any driver could be a risk within the moist.
“I’ve bought some fast guys behind — George put in a pleasant lap, Yuki [Tsunoda] has been flying within the moist all day immediately. So it’s by no means simple in these situations. It’s by no means as a lot as simply settling down and getting on with it — as a lot as that’s what I wish to do, it’s not at all times the simplest factor. We’ll put together effectively. I hope we will get a race in — that will be a great begin — and I’m excited to see what we will do.”
