Lando Norris Clinches “Career-Best” Pole Position at United States Grand Prix, Outpacing Verstappen

Lando Norris celebrates securing the pole position at the US Grand Prix as "the greatest in my career"

"The lap was exceptional. I can say with a good deal of confidence that it was the finest in my career."

Lando Norris has described his pole position at the United States Grand Prix as the finest of his career, following his triumph over championship contender Max Verstappen in the qualifying round.

Norris executed an outstanding lap to secure the top spot on the starting grid at the Circuit of the Americas.

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Norris experienced a stroke of luck as George Russell's accident prevented Verstappen from bettering his time, since he was on track to do so. Nonetheless, the British driver's performance was commendable, especially considering McLaren's challenges during the weekend compared to Red Bull.

During the FIA press briefing post-qualifying in Austin, Norris expressed: "I believe that was likely the peak of my career so far. It was an exceptionally good lap. I raised the expectations too much because during my second lap, I mentioned to the team, ‘I don’t see myself making significant improvements on this’.”

"I managed to extract everything from the vehicle. We made significant adjustments from the sprint to the qualifying round today. We certainly made progress. However, we continued to face considerable challenges.

"I was aware that I needed to take a slightly higher risk and push a bit further. Everything just fell into place flawlessly."

"I certainly couldn't have duplicated that lap. I'm really pleased since being here today was beyond my expectations."

Delving deeper into his top performance during the third quarter, he elaborated, "To be honest, it was a mixed bag. Naturally, we find a slight challenge in the high-speed sections, especially when compared to the Red Bulls.

Max showcased remarkable speed in the initial high-speed section, so making an effort to slightly reduce that was a positive step. Additionally, focusing on improving the braking in the final section, particularly from Turn 12 to 16, was crucial.

"The moment something malfunctions, the situation can deteriorate rapidly. This time, everything connected seamlessly, likely the first instance this weekend, and possibly the last. It all aligned flawlessly. It was an exceptionally impressive lap. I can say with a good deal of certainty that it was the pinnacle of my career."

Norris is staying guarded about McLaren's prospects in the race due to the events in the sprint.

In the 19-lap sprint that took place earlier today, Norris secured a third-place finish. He faced issues with his tyres wearing down, causing him to fall behind Carlos Sainz on the last lap.

"He believes they have significantly enhanced the vehicle's performance," he further stated. Their chances of competing for the top position were virtually nonexistent just a day before. However, today, they were in the running. Despite not being quite there yet, they find themselves in a favorable spot.

"In my opinion, our speed compared to Max's in the past two days seems to be closer than before. I had anticipated Ferrari and Mercedes to show more speed today. Perhaps they maximized their car's potential earlier in the weekend. However, we've managed to make a significant improvement from the sprint until now. It looks like the race ahead will be challenging.

"Ferrari showed impressive speed in the race, particularly with their rate of wear. Max is always a strong competitor. They're bound to be swift. I'm looking forward to it. It promises to be a thrilling contest – definitely one to keep an eye on."

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