Lando Norris has sounded caution over his McLaren car despite finishing first in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.
The Briton, who ended up as runner-up to Max Verstappen last term, secured a time of 1m 15.096s at the end of Q3 to edge out team-mate Oscar Piastri.
That bodes well for Norris, with the McLaren star eager to make a statement as he bids to win the Drivers' Championship for the first time in his career.
However, the Australian Grand Prix could take place in rain-soaked conditions - with the forecast looking somewhat bleak.
Lando Norris has sounded caution over his McLaren car despite finishing first in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix
REUTERS
Norris feels his performance in qualifying on Saturday sets him in good stead.
But the Formula One star has admitted that, with the side yet to run in the wet, there's reasons to be cautious.
“I’m confident that the car’s in a good position, but we’ve also never run in the wet," he admitted.
"We know how quick Max and Red Bull are in the rain, so let’s wait and see.
“[There will be] many opportunities for everyone, but also a lot of new things that we’re going to be learning along the way, so we’ll see tomorrow.”
Norris also praised the efforts of the team for giving him such a positive start.
“Very good! It’s the perfect way to start the year," he stated.
“First of all, a big congrats to the team – everyone at McLaren has done an amazing job to continue from where we were at the end of last season, to start with a 1-2.
Lando Norris trumped McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix
REUTERS
“It’s just quali, right? Let’s wait and see tomorrow.
"I know it’s going to be a tricky race, but today was the perfect way to start.”
Piastri missed out on a maiden pole by just 0.084s.
However, he insists he's still happy with his performance as the first race of the season creeps closer.
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“I’m pretty happy,” admitted the 23-year-old.
“It’s probably one position further back than I would’ve liked, but it’s a great start to the year and great to have the team on the front row.
“Now we’ll reset and see what tomorrow has in store.
"I’m pretty happy with how qualifying went, just not quite enough in Q3, but it’s the start of a long season. A solid start."
Lando Norris has hailed McLaren staff after finishing first in Australian Grand Prix qualifying
REUTERS
He continued: “I think it’s probably a little bit in a couple of places [on what separated the two McLarens].
"I think Sector 3 I lost a little bit of time compared to the lap before from Q2. I also locked up there and went off in the first run of Q3, so I didn’t really want to do that twice.
“I maybe left a little bit on the table, but I think it was pretty tricky out there for everybody.
"Q3 at the start looked pretty messy, so I’m just happy to be on the front row and have a good start.”
