Speaking Friday after the second practice session at the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Lando Norris admitted that he was “confident,” but not “comfortable” with McLaren’s pace.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lead the way in FP3 at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The McLaren duo put in a dominant performance in the final practice session ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Photo by Zak Mauger/LAT Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
That comfort level might be rising in the hours ahead of qualifying.
Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri led a McLaren one-two in the final practice session of the week, with Norris’ time of 1:27.489 just 0.024 seconds ahead of Piastri.
However, that time was also the fastest of the three practice sessions, and it put Norris a whopping 0.627 seconds of George Russell, as the Mercedes driver slotted in third.
Max Verstappen, the reigning Drivers’ Champion, came in fourth. His time was over eight-tenths behind Norris. Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five.
Now, attention turns to qualifying, with the expectation that McLaren will lock out the front row given how both Norris and Piastri have performed this week.
However, it was not too long ago when that was the same scenario ahead of qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix. Instead, it was Verstappen who stunned the field — and the McLaren duo — by taking pole position. The Red Bull driver would go on to win the Japanese Grand Prix, giving McLaren something to think about in the following days.
Perhaps those lessons have been learned.
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