Norris delighted to 'bounce back' after Las Vegas by taking Qatar sprint pole

Lando Norris was happy to "bounce back" from his disappointment in Las Vegas as he took pole position for the sprint in Friday's qualifying session in Qatar.

The Brit finished sixth in the last race behind Max Verstappen, who claimed a fourth consecutive world championship in the process.

However, five days later, he impressed by topping all three segments of sprint qualifying to claim a dominating pole at the Lusail International Circuit.

He finished 0.063 seconds ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, who denied McLaren a one-two by pipping Oscar Piastri over the line.

McLaren currently have a 24-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors' championship, and Norris is determined to make sure they stay on top over the course of the weekend.

"It's so quick around here. It feels like the quickest circuit of the year. The final sector feels like you're hanging on," he said.

"A great qualifying, especially to bounce back from where we were in Las Vegas. It's a nice thing to do.

"It was a decent lap. I made too many mistakes on my second lap. We were coming here to get pole, and we did that, so job done today.

"I want to win. We want to win every session as drivers. Our target is a one-two. We want to maximise points for the constructors'. We want to go for it.

"We know it will be a battle. Mercedes will be quick; Ferrari will be fast. I'm not expecting an easy one, probably an exciting one for everyone watching, so looking forward to [Saturday]."

In position for tomorrow’s Sprint! Mega performance from Lando and Oscar. #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/OH3vpKKcsh

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 29, 2024

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in qualifying, having initially started strongly in the sole practice session.

They failed to mount a real challenge to Norris in the third qualifying session though, leaving Leclerc frustrated with their showing when it mattered.

"We gave it our all and are only P4 and P5, which is not great considering how important this weekend is," Leclerc said.

"Let's say, for whatever reason, FP1 was a lot above our expectations. This I will say is in line with what we expected. We are coming back to reality.

"Obviously, after FP1 there were hopes we could do something better, but we didn't."

Asked if Ferrari could challenge McLaren in the sprint, he added: "If we look at FP1, clearly yes. If we look at qualifying, no. For now, the most representative session is qualifying. We are not in the best position.

"You never know. It's always different in the races."

World champion Verstappen finished sixth, while Lewis Hamilton sits one place further back, complaining he was "just slow".