Lando Norris was pleasantly surprised by his third-place finish in the Silverstone Sprint, acknowledging McLaren's current pace isn't quite on par with Mercedes or Ferrari. Despite starting sixth, Norris executed a strong race to secure valuable points.
Lando Norris found himself on the podium after a lively Sprint race at Silverstone, managing to climb from sixth to third in the 100km showdown. Despite his initial doubts about McLaren's pace compared to Mercedes and Ferrari, Norris made the most of a strong start to finish behind Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton.
Reflecting on the race, Norris expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance. "Right now, finishing anywhere in the top five is a good result for us," he remarked. "It's not easy to beat the likes of Mercedes or Ferrari, so any time we finish in the top four, it shows we've done a very good job."
Norris's journey to third wasn't without its challenges. He found himself in a tussle with fellow Brit George Russell and even briefly overtook Antonelli on the first lap, though he wisely chose not to engage in a drawn-out battle. "My start was very strong, which gave me all the positions," Norris explained. "I got ahead of Kimi for a moment, but I knew he was quicker, so I didn't waste energy trying to fight him."
Having triumphed at Silverstone a year ago, Norris acknowledged that things were different this time around. He noted that while the Sprint was a success, there were still areas for improvement ahead of the main event. "There are a couple of things we can do better for Qualifying and the race," he admitted. "But overall, it was a good race with good points, and I gave it everything."
Meanwhile, Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri had a more subdued race, finishing in seventh, nearly eight seconds behind Norris. Piastri pointed out that while his first lap was decent, the pace dropped off as the race progressed. "It was chaotic for everyone at the start," he said. "After that, I found a decent spot but couldn't maintain pace while following others."
As McLaren looks to build on their Sprint results, both drivers will be focusing on maximizing performance for the rest of the weekend, aiming to capitalize on any opportunities that come their way.