Norris focusing on positives of P3 pace despite grid penalty

Lando Norris says the overall feeling was a positive one after he was able to qualify third fastest for the Belgian Grand Prix, despite facing a 10-place grid penalty.

McLaren opted to take the new Mercedes power unit at Spa-Francorchamps, with Norris exceeding components and receiving a penalty, because it’s a track that is more conducive to overtaking and safety car interruptions. The defending champion was then competitive in qualifying and finished third behind Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, admitting it’s a slightly bittersweet result.

“We’ve not really changed anything, we’re just a bit quicker on this track,” Norris said. “But it’s nice to be standing here, just not nice knowing I have to go 10 places back tomorrow. It’s unfortunate that this isn’t where we’re genuinely starting tomorrow, because it would be nice to have a little fight with these guys. But we made the most of it.

“It was still a very good qualifying, a very good lap for me. So, honestly, I’ve been pretty happy all weekend. It’s a little bit of a home race for me, so it’s always a little boost here, and I’ve performed well all weekend so far. Hopefully, we can still have a good race tomorrow and have some fun.”

Norris believes the McLaren has the performance to allow him to climb into the points, but says his hopes of getting anywhere near the podium will hinge on the opening lap.

“Clearly, the pace is pretty good. It’s close, so it’s not like we’re easily going to be able to get back in the fight with the top group," he said. "But, of course, a good start and a good first lap can easily get me back where I want to be quickly. From then on, it just depends on how easy overtaking is – or how difficult it is.

“I don’t think it’s going to be crazy easy, but there are a lot of possibilities. Honestly, it’s not that different because you do your best in every race. You’re always attacking. For me, that’s always what works best.

“I guess we’ll probably come up with a few more scenarios. If overtaking is easy or hard, and we can’t get back into the top six, seven or eight that quickly, what else can we do to bring us back into the fight? But apart from that, I’m confident we’ll be able to get up there pretty quickly.”