McLaren Drivers Unfazed by Verstappen’s italian Grand Prix Qualifying Dominance
Monza, Italy – McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stated they anticipated Max Verstappen’s strong performance during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, where he secured pole position. The McLaren duo will start the race from second and third on the grid at the Monza circuit.
Norris and Piastri’s comments reflect the consistent pace demonstrated by Verstappen and Red Bull throughout the weekend.This comes as the Formula 1 championship battle intensifies, with Verstappen holding a important lead. the qualifying results underscore Red Bull’s continued advantage, but McLaren remains optimistic about their own race potential.
“No, no. Max is fast throughout the weekend,” Norris responded when asked if he was surprised by Verstappen’s qualifying pace. He added,”I did a pretty chaotic session – there were good and bad times. I feel good that I faded my last round. Second place is not a bad position to start.”
Piastri acknowledged the championship implications but emphasized his focus on the immediate task at hand. “My tour was not something special. Passing a first turn was average, the rest of the tour was at least clean. This weekend, the battle is extremely close. Max and Red Bull are fast throughout the weekend. The result is not a big surprise, but I would have been a little ahead,” he said.McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella praised Verstappen’s performance and acknowledged the tight competition. “It was a very tense session. The 20 cars are extremely close.Lando lost its first set of tires in Q2 and had to make sure a strong tour with the second.It was interesting. Both oscar did a good job. they improved their times in the Q3, so our session was generally positive.”