McLaren driver Lando Norris is relishing the long-awaited chance to have a race-long battle with Max Verstappen for a Formula 1 win through the Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen held provisional pole in Barcelona and improved on his last attempt to extend his advantage, but Norris nailed the “perfect” lap to go 0.020 seconds faster.
The Briton will line up right at the front for the first time in a grand prix since McLaren became a certified challenger at the top as he aims to take a second career win.
But while he will have to contend with Verstappen’s Red Bull looming large in his mirrors, Norris is “excited” to have the rare opportunity to fight the reigning champion.
Asked whether he was relishing a potential duel with Verstappen, Norris replied: “I mean, I hope not. I hope I can have just a good start and kind of control it from there.
“But I’m sure that I’ll race, so I’m going to be under pressure and going to have to make those kind of calls. Yeah, no, I mean, I look forward to it.
“I look forward to racing against anyone. Probably Max is the guy on the track that I’ve raced the least, just because he’s always been too far ahead.
“But yeah, happy to now kind of be there and I’m sure whether I’m first or second tomorrow coming out of Turn 1, it’s going to be a fight until pretty much the end of the race.
“So I’m excited. I look forward to it. I’ve not had many opportunities to do so.
“When I have, it’s normally been about a second or that quicker, but that’s not the case anymore. So yeah, I’m excited just to race against him and have some fun.”
However, with less than four-tenths covering the top six drivers on the times, Norris is mindful that he and Verstappen might not be alone in their endeavours to win.
“I don’t have any concerns,” he added. “I’m excited. It’s a long run down to Turn 1, it’s probably one of the places that you don’t want to start on pole.
“It’s an opportunity for us to go out and try and win a race. We’ve not done loads of long running, we’ve done a bit, and I think we were close as it always has been.
“I think tomorrow’s not like this car is quicker or way quicker.
“I think between Mercedes, ourselves, Red Bull, Ferrari, there’s eight cars that could probably have been on pole today and have a chance of probably winning the race tomorrow.
“It’s about making the least mistakes, similar to today, and just trying to execute another good race that we normally do.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen has suggested that he will be angling to prioritise the long-game in the duel with Norris as he suspects tyre management will prove decisive.
“I would like to win tomorrow, naturally,” he said. “I think it’s still a bit unknown where we are, like all of us, in terms of pure pace in the long runs.
“I’m hoping, of course, it’s going to be all very close, like it has been in the last few races.
“And I think, yeah, with the high deg around here as well, you need to really look after your tyres.
“I don’t know in what state the track will be as well tomorrow with potential rain, of course, overnight and in the morning. So all these kind of things, of course, come into play.”
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