“In qualifying the car felt a bit better than earlier in the weekend, but we are still quite a way off,” said the four-time world champion, who had to tolerate both McLaren drivers in front of him.
Lando Norris sneers at Max Verstappen and Red Bull: ‘They often talk nonsense’
“Third place does offer a bit more possibilities. It’s difficult to overtake here, but we’ll see what we can do during the race. So far it has been quite a difficult weekend, not what I wanted.”
Lando Norris had to abort the last lap: ‘It is what it is’
World Cup leader Lando Norris will have won the title if he wins on Sunday, but knows that teammate Oscar Piastri will do well in Doha. “He’s been riding well all weekend and I had to abandon my last lap. It is what it is. I think everyone here sees opportunities in the first laps of the race and after that it will be fairly straight forward. I’m happier with my car than I was on Friday.”
Polesitter Piastri expects that he will have to push hard on Sunday, also because tire supplier Pirelli has set a limit of 25 laps on the same set of tires. “Fortunately it is not as warm as it was two years ago (when the race was held in October, ed.), but I think it will still be a tough race. But all in all, everything feels good this weekend.”