P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren’s Lando Norris wasn’t shocked to see Max Verstappen on pole for the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix as he claimed Red Bull has “not really had a bad race the whole year.”
Max Verstappen surprised everyone by securing pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix after starting from sixth in the Sprint Qualifying and finishing eighth in the Sprint race. Lando Norris, despite being the fastest on Friday and deliberately giving up the Sprint victory to his teammate, could only manage to qualify in third place. Norris believed that his performance in Saturday’s qualifying was even better than on Friday, recognizing the true pace of Red Bull. Verstappen and Red Bull may have contested Norris’ assessment, as they struggled with a 10-race winless streak earlier this season. Norris faced challenges during his qualifying laps, making a mistake on his first attempt and struggling with straight-line speed deficiencies. Despite finishing third, Norris acknowledged that there was room for improvement in their race setup for the following day.
