Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: Verstappen surges back to pole as Norris praises rival
IMOLA, Italy — Lando Norris was certain Max Verstappen would dominate Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix qualifying.
Verstappen appeared out of sorts during practice at Imola, with the world champion's rocky start to the weekend and several off-track moments casting doubt on his form. However, the Dutch driver rebounded spectacularly on Saturday to secure a record-tying eighth consecutive pole position.
Oscar Piastri and Norris vied for supremacy in their McLarens but fell short.
The gap between Red Bull and McLaren had narrowed, particularly on Imola's challenging circuit, Norris never believed that Verstappen had truly fallen off the pace.
"I know Max hasn't had the smoothest weekend, but I think if anyone doubting Red Bull or [Max] coming back and doing a good job in qualifying, they're a bit stupid," Norris remarked, having secured third on the grid.
"I really expected him to be back on track. It's annoying to miss out to him once again in qualifying, but we're close and I think we're happy as a team. We've all performed. If we can continue and have strong race pace like we had yesterday and like we had in Miami, I think we can have a good race."
Verstappen has demonstrated remarkable consistency, clinching victory in 21 of the 24 races since last May.
When asked if he preferred a tighter competition, Verstappen laughed and responded, "I mean, I would rather qualify eight-tenths ahead, but that's not possible."
"It is very enjoyable when you had a turnaround like we had. I was really excited in qualifying and really happy when I heard we were on pole. So yeah, it was great we were on pole and that we really had to fight for it."
Given the challenges faced during the three hours of track time leading up to qualifying, Verstappen's lap felt particularly special.
"In the last couple years, this is definitely one of the best, I would say. Because it's been a while since I felt like we've been that far off. Singapore [last year] was a terrible weekend; we were off the whole time. But here, we were quite far off and managed to turn it around. It must be at least five, six years since I remember being able to turn it around like that," he said.
Even as the final practice session on Saturday failed to yield positive results, Verstappen and his team continued to make adjustments.
"We kept on working," Verstappen noted. "Even this morning, it was not good. We just kept on trying to improve the balance of the car because it was shifting all over the place yesterday and this morning.
"I honestly went into qualifying thinking, 'If we could get top five, I would be happy because this weekend has been really difficult.' There was really no reference going into qualifying."
Verstappen’s resilience and ultimate triumph in securing pole position set the stage for what promises to be an exhilarating Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. As the lights go out on Sunday, all eyes will be on whether the McLarens can convert their pace into race-day success or if Verstappen will continue his dominant streak.
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