The world champion beat Antonelli by eleven thousandths at Madring after a complicated Friday due to a gearbox problem. He acknowledges that the lap was almost perfect, although he grazed the wall at the last corner.
Lando Norris continues to demonstrate why he is the world champion. The British McLaren driver took pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit and did so with a lap that he himself described as one of the best of his career: "I'm surprised, I'm a bit surprised to be here now, but my God, it was probably one of the best laps I've done in my career" declared Norris after getting out of the car.
The weekend had not started in the best way for the Briton, a gearbox problem on his MCL40 prevented him from taking part in the second free practice session on Friday, which limited his track time on a completely new circuit. However, Norris and his team knew how to recover. On Saturday everything clicked, in Q3 the champion set a time of 1:31.824 that allowed him to beat Kimi Antonelli by just eleven thousandths of a second.
"It was one of those laps where everything comes together, I had a good idea of what I wanted to do but it depended on whether my brain would let me do it on the last lap and everything worked perfectly" explained Norris. The Briton described the feeling of achieving such a lap on a circuit as demanding as Madring: "The adrenaline was high on the last lap, it's one of those where you have to relax and let everything flow. It's easy to get tense here and there are many walls that approach quickly" he commented.
Norris admitted that the key was finding calm at the decisive moment: "I wasn't doing what I wanted, I wasn't completely relaxed and on the last lap I just took a good breath and everything came together" he recounted.
The result was a lap that bordered on perfection, except for a scare at the last corner: "It was practically perfect, except for the last corner, I thought I was in the wall and that the guys were going to have to repair the car tonight. It could have been a bit better but even so it was one of the best laps I've done" he stated with a smile.
The world champion highlighted the importance of having taken that step at a key moment: "Everything I wanted to achieve, I achieved and it's one of those moments where you're in a state of flow and it brings out a big smile" he said. Norris also had words of praise for his team, which worked against the clock to solve the gearbox problem and prepare the car for qualifying: "I'm very happy, very proud, very happy for the team" he added.
Ahead of tomorrow's race, Norris was cautious but optimistic: "I've given myself the best opportunity for tomorrow, I don't think it's the easiest track to overtake on but it will be possible and I have two quite fast drivers behind me" he said, referring to Antonelli and Max Verstappen, who will start second and third respectively.
"I'm excited, it's the first race here in Madrid and it has been a pleasure so far. A lot of things can happen, it's a long race and a difficult track" he concluded.
Norris's pole in Madrid is a show of authority in the championship fight. The Briton, who arrives after two consecutive victories, has shown that McLaren is prepared to fight in any scenario. Madring, with its close walls and its challenging layout, will be the perfect stage for a race that promises strong emotions.
