Lando Norris gutted to miss out on pole position for the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP in quick enough car

F1 Grand Prix of Brazil - Previews
Lando Norris looks on in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the 2023 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Although Lando Norris was quite happy with how quick his McLaren MCL60 was during the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP qualifying, he feels that he missed an opportunity to fight for pole position. Norris ended up in seventh place after several drivers went off track and the weather conditions gradually became worse.

Norris told Sky Sports how great the car felt during the qualifying session, so much so that he could have bagged the pole position. He was ultimately disappointed with the way Q3 ended with a drastic change in weather conditions.

"It was great, honestly, the car was amazing. Easily probably quick enough to be quickest today and on pole. So pretty gutted for that to end the way we did. I don't know what to feel about it. The car was amazing, it came alive a lot in qualifying and (was) easily good enough to be quickest," Norris said.

Overall, Lando Norris was not happy with where he was placed in the qualifying session. However, he simply stated that he could not have done more since he was unlucky with the changing weather conditions.

"Obviously, delivering the lap and putting it together in Q3 and everything is a different job, but easily quick enough. So another disappointing Saturday, but not a lot we could have done," he added.

Right after Norris' lap that placed him in seventh, the rain and wind picked up pace, and the Q3 session was red-flagged and did not resume.


Lando Norris takes a dig at Aston Martin as McLaren takes massive strides forward

Lando Norris recently stated that McLaren's goal is to chase Ferrari and fight for third place in the constructors' championship. He also mentioned how bad Aston Martin's development curve looks in the 2023 F1 season as the British team has taken several steps backward.

He said in his post-race press conference at the US GP:

"It's our target. I think we're in a we're in a good rhythm. It's been clear that Aston… I don't know, they seem to have managed to make the car slower and slower with every upgrade that they’ve bought… They have! I mean they were racing Aston in the beginning of the year and I don't know where they finished today."
"But you know, they were out in Q1 and then they've been struggling, so I don't know what their issues are. But you know, they were very strong, they had a lot of points in the first half of the season and in the second half they've been struggling, and for us it’s vice versa," Norris added.

It is safe to say that Aston Martin dropped like a stone through the grid in the second half of the season, while McLaren's performance and grid positions skyrocketed, especially after the Austrian GP.

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