‘I'm here to win and I am...’: Norris seizes Mexico GP pole as title rivals falter
Mexico City: Lando Norris radiated satisfaction on Saturday after boosting his Formula One world championship hopes with a commanding pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix, leaving his main rivals trailing behind.
The 25-year-old Briton, who sits 14 points adrift of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and 26 ahead of third-placed Max Verstappen of Red Bull, delivered a scintillating fastest lap of one minute 15.586 seconds at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Norris’s blistering lap placed him 0.262 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton third, a further three-tenths down. George Russell of Mercedes qualified fourth, while Verstappen could only manage fifth. Piastri endured a difficult session, lining up eighth on the grid.
“I'm here to win and I am looking forward to it,” said a buoyant Norris, who appeared relaxed and confident after several tense weekends. “I know I have some very quick guys behind me and it's a long run to Turn One, but I'm focussed,” he added.
“I've not been sleeping well lately so that's maybe the key to everything. I've had good races here in the past so I'm just focussing on what I can control and that's all I can do.”
Driving with a freedom that contrasted sharply with Piastri’s struggles, Norris looked at ease around the demanding Mexican circuit.
“I'm happy to be back on pole. It has actually been quite a long time, so it's a good feeling,” he said. “My lap was one of those laps where you don't really know what happened. It felt decent, but when I crossed the line I was very pleasantly surprised. I've been feeling good all weekend, especially today. I got a little bit nervous of the Ferrari at the end of Q3, but I pulled it out when it mattered and I'm happy because of that.”
The pole is Norris’s first in Mexico, his fifth of the season and the 14th of his career, as well as McLaren’s first in Mexico since Gerhard Berger in 1990.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, the Briton remained realistic, saying, “The race pace from the Ferraris is usually very strong so I'm expecting a battle and I'm not expecting it to be easy. Eyes forward. And I will see how much I can win by.”
Meanwhile, Piastri, whose 39-point lead from August has been steadily eroded, admitted to his frustrations after another underwhelming qualifying performance.
“I will try my best,” he said. “It is an opportunity to make some progress forwards.
Everything feels OK, but there's just no pace, which is a bit of a mystery. It has been more or less the same gap all weekend.”
Expressing disappointment, the Australian said, “We'll have a look at where I was going wrong and I would say it's all a bit frustrating. This week and last weekend the car has felt like the pace hasn't come. I'm not 100% sure why and we need to do some digging.”
With the championship battle tightening, all eyes will be on Norris on Sunday as he aims to convert pole into a vital victory in Mexico City.
AFP