Lando Norris admits he ‘can’t match’ Max Verstappen in one area despite US Grand Prix pole position

Follow us on Google Discover

The battle between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull star Max Verstappen continued after a month-long break in action during Saturday’s Sprint Race at the United States Grand Prix.

Saturday was a fascinating day at the Circuit of the Americas with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris claiming showcasing their talents during the Sprint Race and qualifying.

Verstappen drove a perfect race from pole position in the Sprint Race, although at one point it appeared as though Norris was going to challenge him for the lead of the race.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

The young Brit overtook two cars through the opening sequence of corners, but eventually took too much out of his tyres trying to close the gap to Verstappen.

He made a mistake on the last lap of the race, handing second place to Carlos Sainz and nearly fell off the podium completely in his late battle with Charles Leclerc.

However, Norris made amends in qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix by setting the fastest banker lap during Q3.

George Russell’s huge crash prevented any drivers from completing their second runs but the championship rivals will start alongside each other for the race.

Norris spoke to Sky Sports F1 after the session and admitted it was one of the best qualifying laps of his F1 career.

McLaren no longer appear to have an advantage over Red Bull in terms of raw pace and Norris admitted Verstappen had the edge in Austin despite securing the seventh pole position of his career.

Lando Norris admits he ‘can’t match’ Max Verstappen during United States Grand Prix

Asked where the issues are with his McLaren this weekend by Jenson Button, Norris said: “We’re not bad anywhere, it’s just that we’re not spectacular.

“And when you look at the Red Bull, they’re spectacular in high speeds, sector one, and Max is…I can’t even get close to matching what he does in turns five, six, seven.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

“They’ve had that advantage the whole year, they are extremely strong there and Ferrari are extremely strong in slow speed, that’s why they can look after the front tyres well this morning and why they were so quick, why they’re generally quicker on street circuits and that kind of thing.

“We’re just pretty good, like we’ve seen over the last five months, we’re just well-performed everywhere, and they’ve just been a bit more up and down, and we’re just there everywhere.

“This weekend, that’s just not quite enough and against Red Bull who have won several Constructors’ [Championships] over the past few years, we’re fighting against Ferrari who are Ferrari, they’re improving.

“We’re doing the best we can, we’ve improved the car with our upgrades but it shows we still need to do more.”

What microphones picked up Lando Norris saying after US Grand Prix qualifying

Norris was a bit surprised to be on pole position in Austin and Russell’s crash may have saved him from slipping further down the grid with Verstappen and both Ferraris set to deliver one more push lap.

Martin Brundle noticed an ‘extreme’ tactic from Norris while defending from Leclerc, but the stewards deemed he didn’t deserve a penalty as he protected his podium position on the final lap of the Sprint Race.

Tyre management is going to be key to the outcome of the US Grand Prix with nearly everyone struggling towards the end of the Sprint Race.

If Verstappen can’t pass Norris on the opening lap, it’ll be interesting to see how his Red Bull copes given he looked very comfortable in clean air.

Ferrari deliberately made set-up changes to look after their tyres at the start of the race weekend, and Sunday’s longer format may just benefit them going forward.