Norris Confident in Sao Paulo as piastri Struggles, Antonelli Eyes Upset
Sao paulo, Brazil – Lando Norris believes he is performing at a high level and has addressed key areas for advancement as he prepares for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, while oscar Piastri faces mounting pressure after a disappointing qualifying session. The McLaren driver qualified third, behind Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli, and anticipates a challenging race against the young Mercedes driver.
Piastri,currently contending for the championship,saw his qualifying hampered by a failure to improve on his final run,ultimately being overtaken by Norris,Antonelli,and Leclerc. His recent form represents a downturn from earlier in the season, leading to speculation that the pressure of a title fight may be impacting his performance. “Just feels like things are not flowing that easily at the moment, you know?” Piastri stated. “I’ve still got the belief that I can go out and win races and win the championship but, you know, obviously things are not coming as easy as I’d like them to.”
Norris, who secured a hard-fought sprint victory, expects a similarly intense battle with the 19-year-old Antonelli in the grand prix. “I learned (in the sprint) that they’re pretty quick. And I learned that Kimi pushes all the way to the very end,” Norris said. “So, in some ways looking forward to it, some ways I’m not. I think it’s going to be a big challenge tomorrow.”
antonelli, in his debut F1 season with a best finish of third, hopes cooler conditions predicted for the race will favor Mercedes. “The pace this morning was really strong,” antonelli explained. “It was also quite cold and tomorrow should be kind of the same. So maybe that can help us a little bit more. But,you know,running in dirty air is never easy. Hopefully, we can have a strong pace and put pressure on them and hopefully we can fight for the win.”
Piastri acknowledged the need to make gains during the race, stating, “Just try and pass a few cars for you, that’s all I can try and do, just try and capitalise on any opportunities that come up.” He also highlighted concerns regarding tire performance, noting the soft compound has not performed well in qualifying or the sprint race.
