Norris explains Montreal difficulties: 'Harder this year than ever before'

Lando Norris will start Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix in third place, behind Max Verstappen and pole-sitter George Russell. Despite being just 0.021 seconds behind Russell's time, Norris didn't think his lap time was "incredible".

McLaren have been on a high recently following upgrades. Norris won his first race in Miami, and finished on podium multiple times in 2024. Oscar Piastri also stood on the podium in Monaco last time out, and another positive result seems to be on the cards with P3 and P4 on the grid in Canada.

Norris' small qualifying deficit wasn't enough to get him on the front row of the grid, but he's still pleased with the outcome. "Honestly, I'm happy with third. It's so close, and to be this close with a lap I didn't think was incredible [is good]," Norris said.

Norris explains why he feels Canada has been more challenging this season. It's definitely a bit harder this year than what it's been in the past but still rewarding to come out with a P3 even if we were only two hundredths off of pole. We've not done many laps in the first place so it's about tyres coming up to temperature then dropping away, then graining, then the sun coming out, then raining again," he added.

When the lights go out tomorrow, Norris will be hunting down Verstappen and Russell. Unlike the other two front-runners, McLaren will have two drivers at the front and could try to make a smart team strategic move.