Lando Norris recovered from a difficult Friday qualifying to put his MCL60 in first place for the Sprint Race. The British driver will have a chance to score big points later today, showing the potential of the Woking outfit’s machine.
Max Verstappen was just behind, marginally missing out on 1st place. Sergio Perez was less than a tenth behind his teammate, an impressive result – considering his use of used soft tyres. Still, Red Bull will be aware of the various threats surrounding them.
Mercedes were marginally behind, suffering significantly in the final sector. Hamilton and Russell were faster than Norris after the first two intervals – but lost their chance to go fastest due to the W14’s drag. This set-up weakness might be a frustration, but it suggests the Silver Arrows will be a force to be reckoned with on race day.
Yuki Tsunoda was among the stand-outs in today’s session, qualifying in a very impressive P6. After a frustrating race in Mexico, today presents a chance to score points. Daniel Ricciardo is slightly behind in P8, giving the Italian outfit a chance to create some distance from Alfa Romeo.
Midfield battles
Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed the top 10 places in another reasonable showing for Haas. Though their race pace is unknown, they have a chance to make something happen from their grid slots.
Aston Martin will be frustrated with their session today. Leaving Alonso and Stroll out to complete their laps on one set of medium tyres put Aston’s duo on the defensive. Stroll was eliminated, whilst Esteban Ocon hit Fernando Alonso – giving the Spaniard too much damage to continue.
Williams and Alfa Romeo were largely uninspiring and will need plenty of luck to manage a strong result in the Sprint Race. Regardless, today’s final event will provide essential insights into tyre life and race pace – at a weekend where data has been minimal.
