Norris reveals 'pretty shocking' damage hampered Silverstone Sprint Qualifying

The reigning world champion and defending British Grand Prix winner endured a mixed Sprint Qualifying session, coming perilously close to elimination in SQ2 before scraping through in 10th.

Things improved in SQ3, where Norris eventually secured sixth on the grid, finishing ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. The Brit later revealed that his struggles in the opening two segments had been heavily influenced by a technical issue with a brake duct, which was only fully resolved ahead of his final run.

Speaking after qualifying, Norris revealed that damage to a brake duct had a far greater impact on his performance than he had initially realised, explaining that the issue was only fixed before his final run in SQ3. He praised the mechanics for their work, saying the car felt completely transformed once the repair had been made, while admitting he had not had enough time to fully adapt to the improved balance and believed there was still more lap time on offer.

Looking ahead to the Sprint, the Brit suggested McLaren should be able to challenge Red Bull but acknowledged that George Russell's Mercedes appeared to have a clear pace advantage. He added that he was much happier with the car by the end of qualifying and is now focused on understanding what can be improved ahead of Saturday's running.