Formula 1: Norris Grabs Pole Position in Barcelona with ‘Perfect Lap’
BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 22, 2024 – In a thrilling qualifying session, Lando Norris secured his second career pole position in Formula 1, beating Max Verstappen by a narrow margin of 0.020 seconds at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Norris, who has been quick all weekend, extracted everything from his McLaren to grab the top spot on the grid. “I’m super, super happy. We’ve been close to the front all weekend, but needed to have a perfect lap, and I think we delivered that,” said Norris.
On the other hand, his teammate Oscar Piastri struggled with the balance of the car and failed to set a time in Q3. He will inherit a place thanks to Perez’s grid drop and will start from 10th position.
Verstappen, who often finds an extra gear in qualifying, seemed to have done so again, but ultimately fell short by a whisker. His teammate Sergio Perez will start from 11th position after a three-place grid drop.
Lewis Hamilton, who had to bolt on a second set of soft tyres in Q1, managed to undo the damage by running a used set in Q2 and secured a place on the second row alongside his Mercedes teammate. Hamilton targets Norris and Verstappen on Barcelona race day after ‘huge steps’ put Mercedes back in the mix.
Haas struggled in qualifying, with both cars exiting in Q1 and Q2 respectively. Nico Hulkenberg managed to produce a clean lap but couldn’t get beyond 13th place. Kevin Magnussen was knocked out in Q1 due to traffic and will start from 16th position.
RB struggled throughout the weekend, and both cars exited in Q1. Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will start from 18th and 17th positions respectively.
Albon gave a good account of himself in FP3, winding up in the top 10, but was surprised to exit at the first time of asking alongside his teammate Logan Sargeant, who was handed a three-place grid drop for impeding in Q1.
“One has to keep in mind the considerable drop in temperatures we saw today, particularly on the track surface, which was around ten degrees cooler than yesterday afternoon,” said Mario Isola, Motorsport Director.
With a chance of rain tomorrow, tyre management will play a crucial role in the race. The quickest strategy involves the use of two sets of C3 and one of C2, but the teams will need to carefully consider their options.
The Spanish Grand Prix is set to be an exciting race, with multiple teams and drivers looking capable of winning. Who will emerge victorious? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
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