Norris Aims for Victory at US Grand Prix After Sprint Collision

Lando Norris remains resolute in his pursuit of victory at the upcoming United States Grand Prix, despite a collision with teammate Oscar Piastri that resulted in both McLarens retiring from the Sprint race. The incident occurred during the first corner of the Sprint, marking a challenging day for McLaren as they faced complications for the second consecutive weekend. Norris, however, is undeterred and insists that the collision will not alter his strategy for the race set for October 19, 2023.

Following the turbulent events of Saturday, Norris qualified second on the grid, positioned behind Red Bull’s championship leader, Max Verstappen. Piastri, in contrast, struggled and will start from sixth place, a position that presents an opportunity for both Verstappen and Norris to gain ground on the Australian in the title race. Norris, who trails Piastri by 22 points, expressed his determination to seize the chance to win, stating, “I want to win. I hate standing on the second or third step [of the podium].”

Despite the challenges posed by the Sprint race, Norris’s performance in qualifying was commendable, especially considering that the McLaren car had been “just impossible to drive” on the bumpy Circuit of the Americas. The gap to Verstappen during qualifying widened to 0.291 seconds, a significant increase from the 0.071 seconds difference seen in previous sessions.

Norris acknowledged the unpredictability of the race day conditions. “We have not done more than three laps in a row and not more than 40kg of fuel. I have no idea. We don’t know if it will be amazing or terrible,” he remarked, highlighting the uncertainties his team faces after the Sprint.

Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, remains optimistic about the team’s performance in the race. He noted that McLaren’s strengths in tyre degradation could become advantageous as the race progresses, particularly in the warm weather expected in Austin. “If we can have some racing, I think we can take advantage of the strengths of the car,” Stella said.

Piastri’s weekend has been marked by setbacks, as he followed the Sprint collision—which involved a chain reaction after colliding with Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg—with a disappointing qualifying result. Despite this, the Australian maintains a positive outlook. “There’s a lot of opportunities tomorrow; there’s strategy things, hopefully our race pace will be good,” he commented, indicating that he is not ready to concede defeat.

As the championship battle intensifies, Verstappen’s focus remains on refining Red Bull’s race setup. He acknowledged the need for improvement in the car’s performance to effectively compete against the McLarens. “We need to be a bit better in race trim to be able to fight the McLarens,” he stated, underscoring the competitive nature of the upcoming race.

With the US Grand Prix scheduled to start at 20:00 local time, the stakes are high for all drivers involved. Fans can expect an engaging race as McLaren seeks redemption and Verstappen aims to capitalize on the opportunity presented by their misfortunes. As Norris prepares to challenge for the win, the dynamics of the title race could shift significantly by the end of the day.