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McLaren’s High-Stakes Gamble: Norris Pins Hopes on Low Downforce Strategy for Belgian GP Success
Lando Norris is optimistic that McLaren's decision to opt for less downforce will yield benefits during the Belgian Grand Prix. He mentioned, "The somewhat reduced downforce we've chosen might have been a disadvantage today, but we're hoping it'll give us an advantage tomorrow."
Lando Norris is optimistic that McLaren's strategy to utilize less downforce will yield positive results in the upcoming F1 Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Demonstrating remarkable speed in clear weather conditions on Friday, Norris managed to claim the fourth spot on the grid for the upcoming race.
McLaren's slow speed in the middle section of the track, which requires high downforce, was evident during the entire qualifying session.
Norris managed a strong comeback to secure the fifth position in qualifying (prior to Max Verstappen's penalty), despite nearly being eliminated in Q1.
Reflecting on the qualifying rounds, Norris admitted that he has yet to find synergy with his McLaren F1 vehicle.
"Throughout the entire weekend, Red Bull managed to maintain a lead over us, despite us having a slight advantage yesterday," he mentioned. "I simply believe Red Bull didn’t reveal their true potential – while we did.
"Yesterday's efforts were essentially the extent of our achievements. Entering today, we maintained a hopeful attitude. Personally, I faced some difficulties. Oscar nearly topped the charts in the initial two sessions. By the time Q3 rolled around, I believe we both encountered a bit more trouble."
Speaking for myself, I've struggled to find my rhythm today. It felt like I was consistently lagging, always slightly at a disadvantage. Ending up in fifth place came as a surprise to me, and as a result, I'm pleased with the outcome.
"I didn't achieve the outcome I was hoping for, honestly. Yet, I managed to pass some fast cars, including Perez's Red Bull."
Norris revealed that McLaren has chosen to go with "moderately less downforce" in anticipation of a race without rain.
This implies that McLaren is set to gain increased speed on the straights, aiming to climb higher in the race standings.
"He explained that the marginally reduced downforce we're experiencing might have slightly disadvantaged us today, but he's hopeful it will benefit us tomorrow."
"Truthfully, I faced quite a few challenges on the track, mainly due to a lack of confidence, especially at high speeds. By the end of yesterday, I felt slightly more assured, but I haven't been able to find my rhythm as I did in the past races. It might sound awful, but I'm really having to put in a lot of effort to get to grips with the car's behavior in each turn, whereas previously, it felt much more instinctive over the last several weeks and months."
"It seems like it's turning out to be one of those weekends. We're going to put in the effort through the night to ensure we're as ready as possible for tomorrow."
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