Lando Norris lamented a “shocking” qualifying display for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix which leaves him scrambling to take advantage of championship rival Max Verstappen’s grid penalty.
Verstappen reigned supreme at a rain-hit Spa-Francorchamps to claim pole position for Formula One’s concluding round before its four-week summer shutdown.
But the Red Bull driver will be relegated to 11th when the lights go out at Sunday’s 44-lap contest for taking on his fifth internal combustion engine, one more than he is permitted.
The starting grid for Sunday's race at Spa 👀#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/PBNMdcimxC
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 27, 2024
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Norris, 76 points behind Verstappen in the standings, would have been keen to lay down a marker to his Red Bull rival, but the McLaren man was not at the races here.
Fastest in dry practice at the fearsome Spa-Francorchamps venue on Friday, Norris was then eight tenths behind Verstappen in the rain.
He will have to pass a Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes to win, with Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton all ahead of him on the grid.
“About as good as I could do today,” said Norris on the radio after he qualified fifth. “That was shocking.”
Norris might have won the last five rounds, but for a series of mistakes by driver and team. The 24-year-old arrived in the Ardennes “ashamed” that his radio row with race engineer Will Joseph at the Hungaroring – after he was ordered to concede the lead – overshadowed team-mate Oscar Piastri’s first win.
“I was struggling a lot out there with the confidence at high speed,” said Norris. “For some reason this whole weekend I’ve just not clicked as much as I felt like I’ve done in the previous races.
Starting a position apart on the grid again tomorrow. 🤝#BelgianGP 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/hGRQIUSES3
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 27, 2024
“The last few weeks and months have come naturally, but so far it is just one of those weekends where I am struggling to get that nice, natural feeling.
“It’s not the result I wanted, honestly, and I’ve got to overtake some quick cars tomorrow. But I’ll look over the car tonight and make sure we’re as prepared as we can be.”
Asked if he can add to his sole career win in Miami, Norris replied: “That is the target.”
Of course, all is not lost for Norris. He will start seven places ahead of Verstappen and, in dry conditions, he is expected to have one of the quickest, if not the speediest machines underneath him.
But he, and his peers, will also be looking in their wing mirrors with Verstappen, a winner of the last three races staged in Belgium, on a different level in qualifying.
The Dutchman was 1.4 seconds faster than any other driver – and two seconds clear of Perez in the other Red Bull – after the 20 drivers had completed their opening efforts on a damp surface.
The fastest man in Spa today 🇧🇪 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/4oJH6rkzVR
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 27, 2024
And although Verstappen’s advantage by the end was not quite as emphatic, with Leclerc 0.595 sec adrift, the Dutch driver proved just why he should not be written off.
Verstappen then ramped up the pressure on Norris by indicating it is the Bristolian’s race to lose.
“Looking at McLaren’s pace in practice yesterday, it was incredibly strong, and they look comfortable out there,” he said.
“Yes, they are starting slightly further back, but they are so fast they will quickly challenge for the front and the lead. For me, it depends how I get through the first lap. It is definitely still damage limitation.”
