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Lando Norris revealed how he managed to set pole position for the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint race in the tricky conditions.
As F1 returns to China for the first time since 2019, the first day of the Sprint weekend saw extreme action as rain poured down the track in the final parts of the qualifying session, making it a challenging fate for the drivers. Despite the tricky conditions, Lando Norris was able to put himself in pole position ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Speaking ahead of the session, the McLaren driver revealed that he was rather nervous during the session. He said:
"It was. I am extremely happy first of all. It was tricky. I was quite happy with how it was dry, we had good pace, but I was nervous. I kept catching the Ferrari's and the first two laps, I aborted on both so it was all or nothing."
"A nice surprise, a good position for tomorrow."
Lando Norris' pole lap was deleted at first, which put Hamilton on the pole position. This was because he allegedly crossed the track limits on the final corner of the previous lap. However, his lap was reinstated by the FIA moments later, giving him pole position with a 1:57.940.
McLaren team principal reveals issue with Oscar Piastri's gearbox amidst Lando Norris' pole position
While Lando Norris set the pace for the rest of the grid, his teammate Oscar Piastri suffered from an issue on his final hot lap. Running into the final corner in the treacherous conditions, his gearbox was stuck in neutral periodically, which ruined his lap time. He qualified P8.
Team principal Andrea Stella revealed the same, speaking ahead of the session.
"Congratulations goes to Lando. In these conditions it is up to the driver. So, congratulations to him. Then for Oscar, he had some trouble, his gearbox went into neutral from what he told us at the hairpin."
The Shanghai International Circuit was analyzed to be a difficult one for McLaren because of the combination of straights and multiple slow corners, but the qualifying results speak for themselves, although largely affected by the rain.
Drivers were finding it hard to put a valid and competitive lap time on the board, as world championship leader Max Verstappen, known for his expertise in conditions like these, too, went out on multiple corners on his laps. He will be starting the Sprint at P4 tomorrow.
