Lando Norris prioritises strong qualifying at "narrow" Imola

McLaren

Norris prioritises strong qualifying at "narrow" Imola

Norris finished eighth at Imola last year

Sam Hall

Wednesday 14 April 2021 17:06

Lando Norris has explained the importance of securing a good grid position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with overtaking at Imola notoriously difficult.

Passing at Imola is not impossible but it is considerably more difficult at the Italian circuit than at others on the Formula 1 calendar.

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari has been upgraded and modified numerous times over the years but due to the way the layout is moulded to the natural flow of the environment, widening the circuit to better accommodate modern F1 cars is not possible.

As Norris identified, track position this weekend is key.

“It’s great to be back at Imola again this season," he said. "As always, we’ll be aiming to maximise the time on-track to get the most out of the car in preparation for qualifying and the race.

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"Track position is important in Imola with limited chances for overtakes. Turn One will be the best opportunity to make a pass, and it could be tricky elsewhere with the track being so narrow."

On the other side of the McLaren garage, Daniel Ricciardo expressed his excitement for the performance the team has "left to unlock". In his first race for McLaren, the Australian finished seventh but was hampered by damage to his floor caused in the opening laps.

Norris, now in his third season with McLaren, ended the Bahrain season-opener fourth and is just as keen as Ricciardo to unlock the potential of the MCL35M.

He added: “We’ve started the season with a good team result in Bahrain. Our aim is to keep progressing and maximising performance at each race.

"There are still areas we need to work on to try and unlock that extra bit of potential that can make us more competitive, but we’re pushing hard to make those steps.

"The first race really showed how strong the competition is this year, which is going to make for some exciting on-track battles that I’m looking forward to."