Montmeló Lando Norris and his McLaren despatched a warning this Saturday to the Formulation 1 World Championship chief, Max Verstappen and his Crimson Bull, by taking pole place for the Spanish GP that takes place on Sunday.
The 24-year-old British man will attempt to obtain his second victory in Formulation 1, on the Montmeló circuit, close to Barcelona, after the one achieved on the Miami GP firstly of Might.
He was forward of the present chief of the World Championship, the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Crimson Bull), second, and the Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, third and fourth.
Ferrari needed to accept fifth and sixth place for Monaco’s Charles Leclerc and Spaniard Carlos Sainz respectively, who will begin forward of the surprising Alpine of Frenchman Pierre Gasly (seventh). Mexican Sergio Pérez (eighth quickest time) should begin from eleventh on the grid as a result of three-place penalty he carried over from the Canadian GP.
Objective ‘victory’
“It was nearly an ideal lap,” acknowledged Norris, who signed the second pole of his profession after the one achieved in Russia in 2021. “I haven’t got many, however it’s the most stunning,” he exclaimed.
At present ranked third general within the World Championship after the chief Verstappen and the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, the Bristol driver acknowledges, nevertheless, that the duty shall be difficult on Sunday in opposition to Verstappen, who already has six victories this season, after having been topped champion on this planet the earlier three years, at 26 years previous.
“Victory is the aim. However it is going to be troublesome in opposition to Max (Verstappen) and Lewis (Hamilton), who will begin proper behind. However that’s the plan,” stated the British driver.
Their pole confirms that the McLarens are presently the hardest rivals for Crimson Bull, which dominates however with much less solvency than the earlier two seasons.
Verstappen was nevertheless optimistic for the race. “It was troublesome to seek out the stability for the automobile firstly of the weekend. We are able to at the least be very pleased with this efficiency, as a result of it offers us good weapons for tomorrow’s race.”
New disappointment for Ferrari
As for Hamilton, the seven-time world champion who will change Mercedes for Ferrari on the finish of the season, he returns to the noble zone of the grid after a troublesome begin to the season that left him in eighth place within the World Championship.
“I’m very comfortable. It’s nice to be within the top-3 as a result of it has been a troublesome yr to date, however everybody has accomplished an unbelievable job and, little by little, we’re returning this automobile to the entrance positions. I hope that tomorrow with George (Russell) we are able to put stress on the 2 vehicles in entrance.”
Hamilton has not gained a race for the reason that Saudi Arabian GP on the finish of 2021.
The Scuderia, for its half, disillusioned once more this Saturday after its catastrophic weekend in Canada fifteen days in the past. Charles Leclerc, second general within the World Championship behind Verstappen and forward of Norris, will begin fifth, simply forward of his Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz.
It’s true that solely three hundredths separate the 2 Mercedes from the 2 Ferraris, however the Monegasque should begin on the third row on Sunday, three tenths behind Norris.
“It is disappointing as a result of we’re additional away from one of the best time than we anticipated,” declared Leclerc.
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– 2024-06-27 10:11:26
