Lando Norris said he put in a “shocking” lap in the third part of sprint qualifying in Austin that left him in P4 on a day when title rival Max Verstappen bounced back to take pole.
Norris said he had balance and setup issues with his McLaren, and acknowledged that in the end he could have been worse than fourth.
He’s separated from Verstappen on the grid by George Russell and Charles Leclerc.
“I’ve been struggling the whole day, honestly, with the balance and the setup,” he said. “So we’re happy with P4, because I felt like it could have been a lot worse, but my lap was shocking.
“So yeah, not a terrible day. Could have been worse, could have been better. But I’ll take it.”
Asked if optimising the latest update package was an issue he said: “It’s not a new package, it’s pretty much the same.”
Norris says he had no idea about his prospects for the sprint race.
“No, not really,” he said. “I mean, I hope to go forward that’s my plan, but on pace I think we are where we deserve to be today. So my plan to go forward, but I have no idea how much we can that’s fine.”
In contrast Verstappen was delighted to be back on pole after a frustrating recent run.
“We had, I think, a good day,” said the Dutchman. “Of course, sprint qualifying is always very difficult. You do medium, medium, and then a soft, so you never really know how much you can push.
“But I’m happy with today. I think the whole day, the car was working quite well. And, of course, yeah, very happy to be first. It’s been a while. So, yeah, very pleased with today.
“We’ll do the best we can tomorrow in the in the sprint, but we also know, of course, the most points are available on Sundays, so that’s where we really want to do well.”
Regarding the sprint schedule he said: “It’s very hectic. And you know, this track is amazing to drive. And now with new tarmac, a little bit older tarmac, the very old tarmac, the bumpy stuff, it’s not easy.
“I mean, at the end of the day, it’s same for everyone, but to deal with it over one lap is not always the easiest. But it’s fun.”
