Norris: Best qualie of the year 'should have been a lot better'

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A disappointed Lando Norris says his best qualifying result of 2023 achieved in Baku on Friday, "should have been a lot better".

Norris concluded his session P7, a result that would have satisfied the McLaren charger ahead of Friday's running. But given how his session unfolded and the potential of his updated MCL60, Norris reckoned that P4 was on the cards.

"I think before today, we 100 per cent would’ve taken it [P7]," Norris told Sky Sports. "I think it’s a great result, the sequence of upgrades worked well.

"The car was working well on this circuit, at the same time I feel like I was doing a better job on my driving and things.

"It should’ve been a lot better, I think we should’ve been P4 today. A bit disappointed honestly."

2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Qualifying Results

Norris pointed to the team's execution as a relative weak point on Friday.

Having used up his entire allocation of soft tyres on Friday, Norris won't be able to take part in Saturday's SQ3, should he reach the final segment of Sprint Qualifying, as the rules that apply to the new format make it mandatory for drivers to use a new set of softs in SQ3.

By not putting aside a new set of soft tyres for Sprint qualifying, McLaren made the choice to privilege Norris' position on Sunday's grid rather than on Saturday's Sprint grid. But that tactic did not pay off as well as expected and has left the Briton "in the middle of nowhere" overall.

"We as a team didn’t do the best job making the correct decisions of what to do. But apart from that, things were positive," he added.

"We just put ourselves in the middle of nowhere for having a P7 today with not being able to do the runs tomorrow with the new tyre.

"Mixed minds, many positive things if you look at it from that side. The team has done a great job getting the parts here and I like them to work straight away.

"We had good confidence that we could put them on things [would] run cleanly, and that’s what happened."

McLaren introduced but a single performance update on its car for this weekend – a revised floor geometry – but added several track-specific changes, including a lower drag rear wing assembly, all of which proved beneficial in Baku.

"We’re good in the braking zones, we’re good in straight line braking," he explained.

"If you look at Australia, we weren't bad. It's just we've added to that and maybe the track suits us again that little touch more. So, a combination.

"We're still 1s off. We maybe should have been 0.8s off, which is still a very good job, but we should have been four positions higher."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.