Norris: McLaren has been on a roll for several races

F1 Grand Prix, GP Canada, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

After securing third and fourth place in the nail-biting qualifying session at the Canadian Grand Prix, Miami race winner Lando Norris said that he is happy to start the Montreal round from the sharp end of the field following a close battle.

Lando Norris looked to struggle for pace during the practice sessions, but he raised his pace come qualifying. The Briton slowly found his rhythm across the qualifying segments and put himself in contention for pole position. In the end, he just missed pole position by just 20 thousands of a second.

“A great job done by the team today and congratulations to George Russell on his pole position. The session was tricky, it always is in Montréal, but it’s why we love it and it’s why we’re all smiling. It’s a nice feeling when you put a good lap in and end up in the top three.

“I’m excited to see what we can do in the race. The car has been great in the last three or four races and we’re on a roll. There are fast cars ahead and plenty behind us as well so I think we could be in for an exciting one.

"We’ll get our heads down overnight and see what we can do to move forward tomorrow,"

His team-mate Oscar Piastri was on the verge of being knocked out on multiple occasions during Q1 and Q2, but he got his act together in the final segment to take fourth on the grid.

“P4. A very tight and difficult session but a fun one. I think many people are leaving thinking they could be on pole, and I’m one of them, but that’s a positive sign in terms of pace. It’s another start towards the front and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.

"We have good consistency, and we have the benefit of having two cars starting together, which is always a positive from the strategy side. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow. I am looking forward to it," added the Australian.

Speaking of the qualifying session, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella stressed that the gaps became so narrow across the entire field that nailing every lap became crucial.

“Qualifying today was intense. The field is getting more and more competitive, and you really have to nail your laps and get the most out of the tyres if you want to progress. On top of that, as is often the case in Canada, there are many variables in play: the weather, the tyre warm up, the small differences between new and used tyre performance.

“The drivers and the team coped well with these challenges today and ultimately the outcome is positive for us. The second row of the grid is a good starting position, but we know there is rain around and we have to remain focused if we want to capitalise on our good performance today," Stella added.