F1 News: Lando Norris Reveals What 'Hurt' McLaren At Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying

Alex Harrington | Jul 27, 2024

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Second placed Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren talk in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit on May 19, 2024 in Imola, Italy. / Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

At the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, the Formula 1 World Championship witnessed intense qualifying rounds for its 14th race of the season, the Belgian Grand Prix. Lando Norris, driving the MCL38 for McLaren, initially secured fifth on the grid which later improved due to a penalty given to Max Verstappen. Despite this fortunate boost, Norris has been rather candid about the struggles both he and the team faced throughout the series of qualifying sessions.

Entering the weekend with challenges, Norris remarked on the dominance shown by Red Bull.

“The whole weekend the Red Bull has been a step ahead of us even if we were a bit quicker yesterday,” Norris stated. “I just think Red Bull didn’t show their cards at all – and we did.”

During qualifying, McLaren adopted a strategy aiming for lower downforce, hoping to capitalize on increased straight-line speed for the race anticipated to be dry. This decision, as Norris suggests, might have backfired during qualifying.

“The slightly lower downforce that we have potentially has hurt us a little bit today and hopefully will pay us back tomorrow,” he explained.

Reflecting on his performance, Norris admitted to struggling with confidence and vehicle control, particularly in the high-speed corners that are a hallmark of the Spa circuit.

“I was struggling a lot out there, honestly. Just with a bit of confidence. High-speed. I was a little bit more confident at the end of yesterday. I just haven’t clicked as much as I did in the previous races,”

Despite these hurdles, the young driver made a modest comeback by the end of the first qualifying session and managed a better-than-expected position of fifth.

“What we did yesterday was pretty much all we got. I think going into today we were optimistic still. I was just struggling a bit myself. Oscar was almost quickest in the first two sessions. Q3, I think both just struggled a little bit more." However, he admitted that P5 was a pleasant surprise amidst the troubles: "Just from my side, I just haven’t been able to click very well today. I was always one step behind. I was always a little bit on the back foot. To come away with a P5, I was actually surprised with and therefore happy with it."

Norris's focus remains sharp for the race day, knowing well the challenges that lie ahead in competing against formidable drivers like that of Checo Perez at Red Bull and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who now sits on pole position.

“It’s not the result I wanted honestly. Still got to overtake some quick cars like the Red Bull of Perez,” he remarked.

As for race preparations, Norris and his team are not leaving anything to chance, determined to deepen their understanding of the car's behavior overnight.

“Maybe just one of those weekends so far. We will work hard overnight to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be tomorrow,” he concluded.