Norris surprised himself: 'It was waiting for Max'
F1 News
- Toby McLuskie
Once Lando Norris managed to capture pole (Russia, 2021), and at Silverstone of all places, the 23-year-old Briton was close to repeating that feat. It was thanks to Max Verstappen that Norris could not give the British public what had been so much hoped for. While the McLaren driver was SO close.
After Norris set the fastest time in Q3, his competitors bit off on that one by one. "I mean, I was watching, there's a lot of TV screens around the circuit So I was trying to watch every single one possible. I was surprised how long it stayed, I was up the top four, but it just kind of depended on when Max was going to cross the line."
Norris did not expect McLaren to be on the front row
So in the end, Verstappen was slightly faster, but with a second place on the grid, Norris delivered an excellent performance. "So I guess a little bit surprised, I wasn't expecting for us to be here or for myself to be here anyway. So I think we're very happy with the result, but it was more if Max made a mistake rather than if we were quicker than him [to capture pole]."
Realism, as Norris also realises how strong Red Bull Racing's car is in Verstappen's hands at the moment. "Yeah, he's doing a very good job. The team are doing a very good job from his side, So I put a good lap in, with no mistakes. It was a much cleaner run than my Q3, run one, but it was good quali, you know, like I think P1 in Q1, I think P1 in Q2 and almost P1 in Q3, but not quite so I'm so happy with that."