Norris expresses frustration over ‘shocking’ sprint qualifying: ‘I’ve been struggling all day’

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Lando Norris expressed his dissatisfaction with the results of his sprint qualifying session in Austin. The British driver managed to secure .comy a spot on the second row of the starting grid, an unfortunate position given the critical nature of each World Championship point in his ongoing battle with pole sitter Max Verstappen. Norris is adamant that his “shocking” performance in qualifying cannot be attributed to the newly introduced upgrade package from McLaren.

Underwhelming Performance in Austin

During the sprint qualifying on Friday in Austin, Lando Norris struggled to achieve beyond a fourth-place finish. This meant that he had to watch on as Max Verstappen took off from pole position in the shortened race scheduled for Saturday. Following the qualifying session, Norris’s disappointment was palpable as he reflected on his performance.

Norris’s Honest Assessment

“P4 is just not good enough; today was not a good day for me,” Norris candidly stated in an interview with Formula1.com. “I have been grappling with the balance and settings all day long.” Nonetheless, he acknowledged that securing fourth place could have been worse under the circumstances. “In some ways, I am relieved to have finished P4 because it could have been significantly worse. My lap was truly shocking. Overall, it wasn’t an entirely dreadful day; it could have been worse, but it could have been better too. I’ll just have to accept it,” he admitted with a hint of resignation.

New Developments: Upgrades and Challenges

McLaren introduced a comprehensive upgrade package for the Austin race, featuring modifications to the front wing and front suspension. Historically, upgrades from the British team have led to immediate performance improvements on the track. However, during the sprint qualifying in Austin, the expected benefits were conspicuously absent. Is it possible that the upgrade package is having the opposite effect on McLaren’s performance? “I can assure you it’s not the new upgrade package that caused the issues,” Norris stated firmly. “The performance is still the same.”

Future Hopes and Strategies

Before the sprint qualifying, Norris had a mere hour to test the new upgrades on his MCL38 car. He is hopeful that, during the shorter race, his vehicle will have the necessary pace to surpass competitors ahead of him. “My plan is to move forward; that’s my intention. However, based on our current grid positions, we are exactly where we earned the right to be today. While I aim to advance in this race, I genuinely have no idea if we will be able to achieve that,” Norris concluded, revealing both uncertainty and determination.

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