McLaren driver Lando Norris has said the conditions existent at Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix have seen “one kph” be the difference between being at or “over the limit”.
Norris rued having struggled with tyre temperature on the softest rubber in Sprint Qualifying as he could not replicate table-topping times in the first two stages in SQ3.
McLaren’s trouble getting the Soft compound into an ideal operating window cost both Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri again as the pair qualified on the third row.
Norris even elected to venture out on the Medium compound for his initial run in Q3 before reverting to the Soft for his final lap to beat Piastri to fifth place on the grid.
“I was still quicker yesterday than the one I did today, so I felt very confident then,” Norris said.
“Every time I put the Soft on, as much as I felt better today compared to our Soft yesterday, I never felt as good as I did yesterday.
“When I put the Medium on I gained so much more confidence again, but I only had one set. I think what we did was correct but it shows there wasn’t much difference.”
Norris was unable to remain on the Medium for his last shot in the pole position shootout as he had no new sets of the yellow-walled compound available to be used.
However, the Briton suspects that he “would have done the same time” regardless and assessed that there were positives and negatives to the respective compounds.
“I mean they handle some places better and worse for each other, but I feel like I would have done the same time on a Medium if I had a second Medium,” he repeated.
“But you do have to drive them a little bit differently and where they’re good and bad is a little bit different.
“So exploiting those areas is like I knew now what the Soft is really good at.
“So then you can exploit the Softs and find another new set of Mediums, I think I could have exploited that more.”
Max Verstappen bagged pole but claimed that his Red Bull car did not “feel nice to drive” amid his own complaints about how the tyres have performed this weekend.
Asked whether it was differing between runs, Norris said the fragile nature of the tyre had meant it was tough to push to the extreme without overstepping the mark.
“I think it is,” he answered. “I think there’s a small difference of whatever makes a big difference. The tyres are the same.
“You push two kph more into a corner, even one kph, it can be the difference of you being on the limit and over the limit. So then you get the feeling it’s different run to run.
“Brake five metres later, two metres later, you might be on the limit and go, oh, that was fine, I feel like I can push more. You brake two metres later and you go, oh, now I’m over the limit.”
Norris suspects that the hot conditions present and the track surface at the Miami International Autodrome have contributed to the problems the drivers have faced.
“I think just because it’s hot,” he highlighted. “Yeah, it’s a bit even trickier. Yeah, maybe the tarmac as well plays a part.
“But I think everyone’s in the same boat. Everyone’s inconsistent and up and down.
“So every now and then one person putting in the mega lap just because it clicks and they just drive a little bit under the limit and it’s perfect.
“But no, there’s nothing wrong with the tyres. It’s just… I’m sure Max knows it. It’s just you push one per cent too much and you lose one-tenth, one-and-a-half-tenths instantly.”
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