Lando Norris admitted to feeling slightly nervous about McLaren’s race pace at the 2024 Italian GP despite the team locking out the front rows in qualifying at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on Saturday, August 31.
Both McLaren drivers felt they left time on the table in their final runs but it was enough to secure the first and second spots on the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, with Norris edging Oscar Piastri out by just over a tenth.
As a result, he is poised with a golden opportunity to take just the third win of his F1 career and second successive win of the season as he bids to cut into Max Verstappen’s championship lead.
But interestingly, 24-year-old Norris was apprehensive about McLaren’s race pace prospects through 53 laps of the Monza circuit by pointing to various unknowns due to an adapted track layout and new surface and how they’ll interact with the tyres.
“I think tomorrow [Sunday, September 1], there’s more question marks with graining and degradation,” Norris told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com.
“Everyone’s four and two with tyres [unsure] and probably a little bit more nervous of what can happen and what might happen. But we’re in the best position for it, so excited to see what we can do.”
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Norris points to good omen for McLaren
Despite being unsure of things such as tyre degradation, McLaren are generally in the same boat as the other teams so is there any confidence from Norris at the 2024 Italian GP around the Autodromo Nazionale Monza?
As it turns out, there is. The polesitter pointed to the 2024 Dutch GP as evidence that good qualifying pace is a good omen after he dominated 72 laps in the Netherlands to lead home max Verstappen by a comfortable 22.9 seconds.
“I think when you look back to Zandvoort [2024 Dutch GP],” Norris added. “You could say there’s enough evidence to lead us to believe we could have a very strong race here.
“Lesser, just because it’s been so close, but we’re still first and second which means we have a good car, and that normally translates well into a good race car.”
