F1 News

Norris not getting carried away after surprise P8

Norris not getting carried away after surprise P8

16-03-2019 15:30
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Jake Williams-Smith

Lando Norris says he will be remaining fully focused on his first F1 race after a surprisingly strong performance in qualifying to put his McLaren in eighth place for the Australian Grand Prix.

The Briton out-qualified his vastly more experienced teammate Carlos Sainz after the Spaniard was caught out by Robert Kubica's slow-moving Williams, the Pole suffered a puncture at the tail end of Q1.

Despite his performance earning a lot of praise from many in the F1 paddock, Norris says it will be crucial to remain composed despite the excitement of putting his McLaren in the top ten on his debut.

“I loved it but I’m not going to get carried away!" he explained to media after qualifying.

"I was very nervous at the start of the session with it being my first-ever F1 quali and never having been here before. But I managed to put the laps together today – the team were fantastic.

“Our aim was to get into Q2 but it turned out to be even better, and it’s a great confidence boost for everyone. It’s going to be a long, tough race and that’s what I must concentrate on now. Hopefully I can sleep okay.”