Norris happy with Spa qualifying after floor massacre in Q1

Lando Norris qualified seventh for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix but the McLaren driver considered himself lucky to have reached the top-ten shootout after heavily damaging the floor of his MCL60 in Q1.

Norris was caught out by the mixed conditions in the first segment of qualifying and veered off course on the exit of Spa's Turn 16.

He managed to rejoin the track and nurse his car back to the pits but a close examination of his floor by McLaren's crews revealed significant damage.

A swift temporary repair job was executed that put him back on track and while he managed to make the Q3 cut, his best effort in the improving conditions was only good for seventh, one spot behind his team papaya teammate Oscar Piastri.

"I went off in Q1 and completely destroyed the floor, so I'm happy to have made it to Q3 and only be a couple of tenths off what Oscar did," Norris told Sky Sports F1.

• 2023 Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying Results

"I think he did a good job. His middle sector was very strong. We were very poor in the straights.

"There's wins and losses, but I'm happy. It could have been a lot worse, I could have been out in Q1, so I'll take P7."

Queried on the extent of the damage incurred by the McLaren's floor, Norris said: "The whole thing [was damaged]. Normally, you can repair it [under parc ferme rules].

"We tried to tape it. They did a good job on getting as much as they can fixed, but too much to be competitive today.

"So, I don't think we're bad. I think if we had a car that was together, if I hadn't made the mistake in Q1, we could have had maybe a slightly better day.

"We weren't miles off the guys ahead, but I'm happy I got what I did out of it."

On the other side of the McLaren garage, Piastri, who was deprived of any dry running ahead of qualifying because of a washed-out FP1, said that he actually felt "comfortable" in the treacherous wet-to-dry conditions.

"I felt very comfortable when the conditions were really tricky like that," said the Australian.

"I think in some ways, the track drying up and becoming closer to normal was a hindrance for me because I've not done a dry lap around here in an F1 car.

"So, for braking points and stuff like that, especially when offline, it's wet, you never want to brake too late and I think that's where I left quite a bit on the table, unfortunately."

McLaren was the second best team behind Red Bull at Silverstone and in Hungary, but Piastri reckons that Ferrari – with Charles Leclerc on pole – has the upper hand for Sunday's race.

"Ferrari seems stronger this weekend, so it's not just two teams fighting for second best, it's more like three, possibly four," he said.

"We've got another qualifying and the sprint to go but I think we can be confident. The pace and the car are still quite good."

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