Sprint Pole qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren celebrates in parc ferme- Source: Getty
McLaren driver Lando Norris claimed that he was not expecting an easy sprint race on Saturday (Nov. 30) as he predicted a challenge from Mercedes and Ferrari in the 19-lap race. The British driver was in ominous form during the sprint qualifying session on Friday night at the Lusail International Circuit as he always had the answer to his rivals' lap times.
The 25-year-old abandoned his final fast lap as he failed to improve and got the lap in the first time of asking in the SQ3 session but it was enough to get his third pole position in the sprint shootout this year.
However, in his post-race interview with F1TV, Norris was optimistic about his chances of winning the race despite predicting a challenge from his rivals. He said:
"I want to win. We want to win every session as drivers. Our target is a one-two. We want to maximize points for the constructors'. We want to go for it. We know it will be a battle.
