Lando Norris proved he is the man for all seasons by conquering a treacherous Shanghai International Circuit to claim pole for the first Sprint Race of the season on Saturday.
As his competitors struggled to keep their cars on the straight and narrow around a track which quickly became an ice rink following a heavy downpour late into the second qualifying session, Norris showed great skill and composure to perfect the equilibrium of risk and reward and safely shepherd his McLaren to pole.
Norris’ pole-setting time was initially wiped from the timesheets after he was adjudged by the stewards to have exceeded track limits, handing Lewis Hamilton a shock pole.
But Norris’ mark was reinstated soon after, knocking Hamilton down to second and meaning that it will be the McLaren driver who will lead the British charge on Saturday in China where there will be a maximum of eight crucial Championship points up for grabs.
‘It was (wild). I am extremely happy, big thanks to the team. It was tricky,’ said the 24-year-old. ‘I was nervous. I was quick, I kept catching the Ferrari so had to keep backing off. I got a good final lap. I am happy, sad it is not for a proper qualifying but good enough. It was good fun, it gets your heart going. A nice surprise and a good position for tomorrow.’
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Lando Norris proved he is the man for all seasons by conquering a treacherous Shanghai International Circuit to claim pole for the first Sprint Race of the season on Saturday
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Norris’ pole-setting time was initially wiped from the timesheets after he was adjudged by the stewards to have exceeded track limits, handing Lewis Hamilton (above) a shock pole
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But Norris’ mark was reinstated soon after, knocking Hamilton down to second and meaning that it will be the McLaren driver who will lead the British charge on Saturday
While the skies became gloomier with each and every lap completed, there was finally a ray of sunshine for Hamilton. This was a reminder that he remains a canny operator in all conditions as he delved into a box of tricks compiled from over 17 years in the sport to take his underperforming Mercedes to second.
While the weather was a significant mitigating factor, this was an exceptional performance from the seven-time world champion who had described his car as ‘rubbish’ just hours earlier during the first practice session.
‘It was very tricky conditions. Not a lot of grip for everyone. But so happy, as soon as I saw the rain coming I was getting excited. In dry conditions we’re not quick enough,’ said Hamilton.
When asked to assess his chances of claiming victory in the Sprint Race, Hamilton said: ‘It really depends what the conditions will be like. If they are like they were just now we have a chance of being up there.’
Things were less positive for team-mate George Russell, who succumbed to mother nature and saw his last attempt to make it into the final sprint qualifying session ruined by the rain. As a result, he will start from 11th.
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His competitors struggled to keep their cars on the straight and narrow around a track which quickly became an ice rink following a heavy downpour late into the second qualifying session
Max Verstappen will find himself in the distinctly unfamiliar surroundings of the second row on Saturday morning after he could only post the fourth-quickest time of the session.
The Dutchman ran wide at the last corner of his final flying lap, ending his hopes of toppling Norris and sending out a reminder that Red Bull’s seemingly all-conquering triple world champion and championship leader is fallible after all.
‘It never really switched on for me. It was just like driving on ice, that is why also I think we deserved where we are in qualifying, it isn’t really working for me in the wet but it is not where we are in the dry,’ said Verstappen.
‘It is not ideal to start on the inside here. We have to try and have the best start possible and then I think it will be quite a long stint on one tyres in the sprint.’
