Norris and Piastri split on McLaren’s performance in Singapore sprint qualifying
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri voiced contrasting takes on a ‘very tricky’ sprint qualifying session that left them fourth and fifth on the grid in Singapore.
Singapore’s night‑time sprint qualifying proved a headache for McLaren, with the team’s two drivers emerging from the session on opposite sides of the performance debate. Lando Norris, who qualified fourth, praised the car’s pace but warned that the circuit’s unique demands still expose weaknesses. Oscar Piastri, who started fifth, was more critical, describing the session as ‘very tricky’ and suggesting that McLaren’s set‑up struggled to find a consistent rhythm.
Both drivers highlighted the challenges posed by the Marina Bay Street Circuit’s high‑downforce requirements, rapid direction changes and the humid Singapore climate. Norris noted that the team’s recent aerodynamic updates helped them stay competitive in the top five, but he also flagged tyre degradation as a factor that could hamper race‑day performance. Piastri, meanwhile, pointed to a lack of confidence in the car’s balance during the short, intense qualifying bursts, saying the team needs to fine‑tune the suspension and brake cooling to extract more from the car.
The split in opinion comes at a crucial juncture in the 2024 championship. McLaren sits third in the Constructors’ standings, trailing Red Bull and Ferrari, and both drivers are eager to close the points gap to the leaders. A strong sprint race result could boost their momentum heading into the final two Grand Prix of the season. However, the divergent views also underline internal pressure on the engineering team to deliver a more predictable package, especially as the sprint format continues to compress the weekend’s action.
For India: The Singapore sprint qualifying took place at 21:30 IST on Saturday, with the sprint race starting at 23:00 IST. Indian viewers can watch the session live on FanCode, which holds the official streaming rights for the 2024 season. The main Grand Prix will be held on Sunday at 22:00 IST, also on FanCode, with a post‑race analysis show scheduled for 00:30 IST on the same platform.
Source: Formula1.com