Norris says fifth place reflects McLaren’s Singapore qualifying pace

Norris finished fifth in Saturday’s Singapore Grand Prix qualifying and said that was where McLaren should be: he rated the team fourth-fastest. Oscar Piastri qualified seventh and put McLaren third or fourth in the pace order.

Norris described the MCL40 as too difficult to drive at the limit. He said he felt close to crashing just to set a fastest sector, while the tyres would not survive that level of attack; putting together a full lap at the limit was almost impossible. He also said nothing had changed since the Sprint, so he saw no reason to expect a sudden jump in pace.

Piastri had hoped for more, but said Verstappen and the Ferraris had McLaren covered. He described the session as uneven, citing a few mistakes and difficulty finding more time in the car.