"I'm not expecting an easy one": Lando Norris looks forward to the F1 Qatar GP sprint after qualifying on pole
McLaren driver Lando Norris claimed that he was not expecting an easy sprint race on Saturday (Nov. 30) as he predicted a challenge from Mercedes and Ferrari in the 19-lap race. The British driver was in ominous form during the sprint qualifying session on Friday night at the Lusail International Circuit as he always had the answer to his rivals' lap times.
The 25-year-old abandoned his final fast lap as he failed to improve and got the lap in the first time of asking in the SQ3 session but it was enough to get his third pole position in the sprint shootout this year.
However, in his post-race interview with F1TV, Norris was optimistic about his chances of winning the race despite predicting a challenge from his rivals. He said:
"I want to win. We want to win every session as drivers. Our target is a one-two. We want to maximize points for the constructors'. We want to go for it. We know it will be a battle.
"Mercedes will be quick, Ferrari will be fast. I'm not expecting an easy one, probably an exciting one for everyone watching, so looking forward to tomorrow."
Lando Norris delighted with his pole position in the Sprint Qualifying
McLaren driver Lando Norris said he was happy with his performance in the sprint qualifying but was looking forward to the sprint race on Saturday given the points will be distributed in that session.
Speaking with Sky Sports, the British driver said:
"Into qualifying, we made some improvements, but I think the car really took a step forward and I could extract a lot more out of it. Happy with today’s job for sure, but the real job is tomorrow. I think the long-run stuff could easily suit the Mercedes a bit more than it suits us, but I’m still hopeful that we can get a good race in.
"And we want to score maximum points from a constructor point of view, even though the points are minimal and one position is a point, we still want to go out and get every point we can."
McLaren could win the Constructors' Championship this weekend if they outscore Ferrari by 21 points throughout the two races on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.