Lando Norris has revealed his 'pole or die trying' approach in the Formula 1 qualifying session in Baku, Azerbaijan. The McLaren driver admitted he took maximum risk to secure pole position, though he ultimately had to settle for third on the grid.
Norris arrived in Baku with the momentum of a pole position in Madrid, where he delivered a stunning performance and led the race before an ill-timed Virtual Safety Car cost him the win. He hoped to replicate that form, but things didn't go according to plan. "We're still eight tenths off pole," he told media, including Motorsport Week.
The British driver explained that most of the time loss was on the straights, where he couldn't do much. "To be honest, most of our time loss to them, a lot of it's in the straights, so there's not a lot I can do about that," he added. Norris also admitted that a mistake on his final lap compounded the issue, allowing Oscar Piastri to start ahead of him.
Nevertheless, Norris stressed that he felt comfortable with the car throughout the weekend. "I've been comfortable in the car the whole weekend. Just on our last lap, I made a mistake and paid the price," he said. Currently fourth in the championship, nearly 100 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli, Norris is forced to take big risks to chase the title. "I'm at a point in the championship where I kind of have to go for pole or die trying, and of course, I paid the price for pushing too much today, but it is what it is," he said.
Norris also highlighted Mercedes' straight-line advantage that made it difficult for him to close the gap. "The guys say everything's working as expected, but when you see eight tenths to the top, it's painful," he added. He emphasised that Mercedes still have the edge in straight-line speed, and that's an area McLaren need to address. "We just look a step worse than Mercedes in everything straight-line related," he said.
Furthermore, Norris revealed that his car felt worse compared to the other side of the garage, making his life even more difficult. "So it's been tough, and especially with my car, for some reason, my car is even worse compared to the other side, so it's just making my life very painful," he lamented. Despite this, Norris remains optimistic and will aim to maximise his race performance.
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