Cheers erupted for Oscar Piastri at the Melbourne Grand Prix Saturday, only to be tempered by an astonishing qualifying lap from Lando Norris, who claimed pole position in a thrilling finale. Piastri, the Australian rookie, narrowly took provisional pole from reigning champion Max Verstappen at Albert Park. However, moments later, Norris surged ahead in his McLaren to snatch pole with a time of 1:15.096, just 0.084 seconds faster than Piastri and 0.385 seconds quicker than Verstappen.
Reflecting on the eventful qualifying session, Piastri expressed a mixture of satisfaction and slight disappointment. While pleased to start from the front row, he admitted, “It’s probably one position further back than I would have liked.” He remained optimistic, saying, “It’s great to have the team on the front row, so we’ll reset and see what tomorrow has in store.”
Norris, thrilled with his performance, praised the efforts of the McLaren team, stating, “It’s the perfect way to start the year. A big congrats to the team…everyone at McLaren has done an amazing job to continue from where we were at the end of last season to start with one-two.” He acknowledged, however, that it was just qualifying and looked ahead to the challenges of the race: “I know it’s going to be a tricky race.”
Both drivers’ performances have set the stage for an exciting race ahead, signalling a promising start to the 2023 season for McLaren as they aim to capitalise on their front-row advantage. The atmosphere is charged with anticipation as fans await the unfolding drama on race day.