Lando Norris declares Monaco qualifying "one of the best Lando Norris laps ever"

Norris, McLaren, Monaco — Photo: © LAT Images

Monaco Grand Prix

Norris declares Monaco qualifying "one of the best Lando Norris laps ever"

On-form McLaren driver qualified fifth for the Monaco Grand Prix

Sam Hall

Saturday 22 May 2021 22:30

Lando Norris described his Monaco Grand Prix qualifying performance as "one of the best Lando Norris laps ever" after securing fifth on the grid for Sunday's race.

Norris has won plaudits for his race performances this year, but the McLaren driver has found F1 qualifying tougher.

The Briton's previous best starting position this season has been seventh after a lap at Imola that would have been good enough for P3 was deleted for infringing track limits.

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“The thing that makes it special here is that Monaco is such a difficult track to put it all together and such a difficult track to make sure you are using every millimetre of the track because it all adds up at the end of the lap," said Norris.

“[It was] one of the best Lando Norris laps ever. There have been a few I guess, ones that I have been happy with over the past few years, like Abu Dhabi last year at the end of the season, Imola this year, apart from going off the track, and this one.

“I did good laps in Q1, Q2. I always felt comfortable and always executed a good lap by the end but definitely, that final lap was the best lap altogether and I don’t think there was any corner on the track I wasn’t fractionally better than my previous laps."

Verstappen, Bottas and Sainz within reach

Although trailing pole-sitter Charles Leclerc by 0.274secs, Norris was agonisingly close to securing a front-row start, as just 0.044s separated second to fifth place drivers Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz and Norris.

That was aided by the fact qualifying was red-flagged with 18 seconds remaining after Leclerc crashed his Ferrari into a barrier at the swimming pool complex, preventing a number of other drivers behind from going quicker.

“I think from my side, P5 was as good as we could do today," added Norris. "It just happens that we were just two-tenths off and when you think of two-tenths it is basically nothing but it is the way it is.

“It’s motivating for the team anyway, to try to make the car two-tenths quicker in one lap and then we could be there.”