The McLaren team had to concede to 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the sprint qualification for the Miami GP. While the young Italian was the fastest, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris respectively clocked the second and third time. Not the result the papayas had hoped for, but there is plenty of positivity to take into the rest of the weekend.
“I obviously have very good memories of this circuit, but at the same time, they don’t mean anything,” Lando Norris responded after the session. “It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past. I’m focusing on today and the performances we need to deliver now. In that respect, we’re reasonably close to where we need to be, but it’s clearly not good enough yet.” The McLaren driver was positive about his own performance, especially since he disappointed during the past qualifications.
“It just goes to show how close we all are,” the Brit concluded his story. “In addition, we now also see how fast the Mercedes actually are. We certainly have enough speed to pull something off in the sprint tomorrow, and possibly also fight for pole position.” McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri regretted a missed opportunity for pole position, but is also positive about his chances. “I’m reasonably satisfied – it wasn’t the best lap ever,” he sighed. “The brakes locked up in the last corner, so I probably lost pole position there. Overall, I’m quite pleased with this result. I feel there’s more pace in the car, so I remain positive for tomorrow.”
