McLaren's Norris Piastri Secure Top 5 Starts

Despite challenging rain, Norris and Piastri outperform expectations, securing top 5 starts for McLaren in the race.

Lando Norris did not hide his disappointment after qualifying fifth, which will see him start fourth on the grid following Max Verstappen’s penalty. The McLaren F1 driver struggled in the rain and hopes for a more positive race for himself and his team.

“It was tough, but I’m also very happy today. In the end, we lacked performance compared to the cars in front, especially against the Red Bulls who are at another level in the rain and probably a bit better in the dry,” Norris stated.

The Briton, however, believes he salvaged a rather solid position: “A difficult day but I expected worse. I didn’t drive very well, it wasn’t working well, a bit like yesterday. I’m happy to have managed to secure fifth place.”

Despite Verstappen’s 11th place, Norris remains wary of the Red Bulls throughout the race: “We’re in a good position but Red Bull is on pole. It will be tough, Max will quickly move up and we’ll have to fight him for the win. I hope that with a bit more support, it might turn in our favor.”

Oscar Piastri recorded the sixth fastest time and will start fifth: “Yes, it was tough, our pace seemed reasonable often enough. In Q3, we slightly missed the tyre strategy, but it’s hard to predict with the rain.”

“We tried to do what was safe but it wasn’t the right solution. We have two cars in the top 5 tomorrow and Spa is a track where you can make up ground. And our pace in the dry is promising.”

Piastri is not giving up on a very good result tomorrow: “I think the first lap was the one where you had to get it right on new tyres, and I made a few small errors. It’s hard to get everything right in these conditions but I suffered for it.”

“I think we can still fight for the win tomorrow, our pace was good in the dry yesterday. We’re starting a bit further back, which complicates things but we’re in a good position to contend for the win.”