McLaren driver Lando Norris took pole position for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was second, with Fernando Alonso third for Aston Martin.
Norris took advantage of a late downpour which equalised the field, with grip levels at the Shanghai International Circuit scant. Usual favourite Max Verstappen could only manage fourth.
There was initially some confusion over his final lap in SQ3, which was deleted at first for a track limits violation. Race control subsequently reinstated it, snatching pole away from Hamilton.
Norris had run wide and into the gravel trap on the exit of the final corner, which triggered an automatic deletion for the following lap. However, he’d gained no advantage from the off so he was ultimately allowed to keep his time.
That means he’ll start Saturday’s 100km dash from the front of the grid, though it will be difficult to hold on in dry conditions. If he can cross the line first, he’ll put eight points on the board prior to the traditional qualifying session.
Damon Hill salutes Lando Norris after Chinese GP heroics
After the session, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill took to his Instagram story to applaud Norris. Reposting a pole position graphic from Sky Sports F1, he simply wrote: “Pure talent.”
The final margin between Norris and Hamilton, when everything had shaken out, was over a second. In that sense, he was truly in a class of one.
Norris is hoping to follow in Hill’s footsteps by delivering a title under the British flag. He currently holds the unfortunate record for the most podium finishes (14) without achieving a victory, but Nico Rosberg thinks he can end that drought in China.
As for a championship, Sebastian Vettel, who won four during his career, actually reckons one of his compatriots stands a better chance. Asked to predict the next title-winner not named Verstappen or Hamilton, he went for George Russell.
How many pole positions does Lando Norris have?
Technically, Norris only has one pole position to his name during his F1 career. That came at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, where he was agonisingly close to taking his first win.
While a rain shower played into his hands this weekend, it cost him dear in Sochi as he opted to stay out on slick tyres while his rivals pitted. It proved to be the wrong decision as he slipped down to seventh.
Norris did already have a sprint pole under his belt before Friday’s running, having beaten Verstappen in Brazil last year. On that day, a poor start cost him as the Dutchman immediately got by.
This time around, he does at least have something of a buffer with Hamilton out of position after a ‘magical’ lap and Alonso ahead of Verstappen too. If he gets away well, he could build up an early gap.
But he certainly won’t get carried away, especially given that McLaren were ‘worried’ about how they would perform this weekend. Oscar Piastri predicted last week that there would be ‘chaos’, and McLaren benefitted from that on Friday, but it remains to be seen whether they can prevail in normal conditions.
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