Norris does not expect an “easy race” race at Monza
Despite having clinched his second pole position in a row, McLaren driver Lando Norris expects a difficult race at Monza, claiming that his rivals also have a great race pace.
McLaren did not look dominant on Friday, but come qualifying, they locked out the front row for today’s Italian Grand Prix, having done that for the first time since 2012,
Following his dominant showing at Zandvoort just a week ago, Lando Norris was delighted with his pole position, but does not expect an easy race at the Autodromo Nationale di Monza.
“Another pole, which is amazing. To have a first and second in Qualifying is a little bit of a surprise when the field has been as tight as it has all weekend. The team has done an amazing job.
“It would be great to replicate this tomorrow, but it’s been very, very close on track. There are a lot of very quick drivers behind in quick cars, so I’m not expecting an easy race.
“There’s also plenty of question marks over the tyre degradation on the new tarmac – so lots of unknowns for us but plenty of excitement for the fans.”
His team-mate Oscar Piastri looked slightly slower than Norris in the opening stages of qualifying, but put an impressive lap together to secure second spot on the grid.
“The first lap in Q3 was quite good, but the second was not quite there. However, it was still a good performance and a really good team effort.
Piastri continued: “The field’s been incredibly tight this weekend, there was no guarantee of a front-row lock-out for us, so it’s an amazing effort to be able to pull that off. After the resurfacing, it’s been a little bit different to what we’re used to in Monza, and with such a tight field at the front, I think tomorrow’s race will be very exciting.”
Reflecting on another brilliant one-two for McLaren, team boss Andrea Stella was delighted to see the MCL38 work efficiently in different conditions and on a very different layout.
“A great result for the team in what was an extremely tight Qualifying, with only a couple of tenths between first and sixth here in Monza. We were expecting a different situation to Zandvoort, given the two layouts are polar opposites, so it’s reassuring to confirm the MCL38 is working well across a range of conditions.
“We’re now focused on the race. Tyre behaviour will be interesting, and I think everyone will be going in with a degree of uncertainty about how it might pan-out. We have to work hard tonight, extract the most out of the car, and try to maximise this very strong grid position.”
