Lando Norris grabbed pole place for the System 1 Dash Race on the Qatar Grand Prix, the ultimate F1 Dash Race of the 2024 season.
In doing so, Norris moved McLaren one step nearer to capturing the Constructors’ Championship.
Norris took pole in dominant vogue, and could have teammate Oscar Piastri proper behind him in third when the lights exit to begin the F1 Dash Race on Saturday. That provides McLaren an incredible likelihood at bringing residence a giant haul of factors within the F1 Dash Race, as they give the impression of being to seize their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.
“It’s so fast round right here,” mentioned Norris to James Hinchcliffe after qualifying. “Nice qualifying at present, particularly to bounce again from the place we had been final trip.
“We’re coming right here to get pole and we did that, so job completed for at present.”
Norris made it clear that his, and McLaren’s goal is a front-row lockout on Saturday.
“I imply, I wish to win. We wish to win each session as drivers,” mentioned Norris. “Our goal is a one-two, we wish to maximize factors for our Constructors’ at present, so we wish to go for it.”
George Russell will begin alongside Norris in second, whereas Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. will begin fourth subsequent to Piastri.
Listed below are the complete outcomes from qualifying for the F1 Dash Race on the Qatar Grand Prix:
McLaren arrived the Qatar Grand Prix with a 24-point lead over Ferrari and a 53-point lead over Pink Bull. That provides the Woking-based crew an opportunity to clinch the F1 Constructors’ Championship this weekend on the Qatar Grand Prix.
Merely put, McLaren must be main each Ferrari and Pink Bull by a minimum of 45 factors going into the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ought to their lead over both Ferrari and/or Pink Bull be simply 44 factors, tiebreakers would doubtlessly be on the desk, which means McLaren wouldn’t have mathematically clinched the title.
Proper now McLaren leads Pink Bull by 53 factors, which is above the 45-point mark. Pink Bull must get their deficit to McLaren all the way down to 44 or much less, which means they should outscore McLaren by 9 factors or extra in Qatar to remain alive. Something lower than that — or if McLaren outscores Pink Bull in Qatar — and Pink Bull is eradicated.
Now for Ferrari, which is a bit more durable for McLaren. With McLaren holding a lead of 24 factors over Ferrari in the intervening time, they should push that hole to 45, outscoring Ferrari by a complete of 21 factors over the weekend in Qatar. Ought to they accomplish that job, Ferrari could be eradicated.
But when they outscore Ferrari by lower than 21 — or if Ferrari outscores McLaren — the Constructors’ title would come all the way down to the ultimate race weekend, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
