Lando Norris has long been aware that if he is to revitalise his Formula One world championship challenge he has to click with his McLaren car in qualifying. So his pole position for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix is a moment to savour, a performance he has been attempting to nail since claiming the No 1 spot at the season-opener in Australia.
On a circuit that rewards confidence and commitment like no other, Norris had both in spades for a mighty lap in the final seconds of qualifying, threading the needle on the streets of Monte Carlo to beat the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc into second place by 0.109 seconds and his teammate Oscar Piastri into third. Lewis Hamilton suffered a crash in FP3 and Ferrari were able to repair the damage from which he recovered to a strong fourth place. However after the session was concluded the British driver was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Verstappen in Q1.
