Lando Norris sends Oscar Piastri clear message: 'Stupid not to'

Lando Norris insists he would be "stupid" not to go for victory in the sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix, despite starting from the second row.

The McLaren driver could only set the third-quickest time in the shorter grid-setting session at the Lusail International Circuit, after George Russell disrupted McLaren's dominance by going second.

Oscar Piastri, in the leading MCL39, marked a return to form, clinching pole. However, his team-mate, who is 24 points ahead in the F1 drivers' championship standings, is not going to allow him to win without a fight.

"I'd be stupid not to try and win," Norris said after the session. "I'm here to try and win, so I'll see what I can find overnight and see what we can do for tomorrow."

However, he remained realistic about his prospects over the 19-lap race, on a track that is notoriously difficult to pass on.

"It's impossible to overtake, so I think I'm probably going to finish P3," the 11-time grand prix winner added.

"But if I can at least get a George off the line or something, then that's probably the most I can hope for."

Norris 'just didn't put it together'

Norris showed strong pace through the first parts of qualifying, but struggled to put it together when it mattered most.

When asked if jostling for position with Alex Albon had compromised his final push attempt in SQ3, the Briton have a very matter-of-fact response.

"Yeah," the 26-year-old responded. "But that's life."

However, he was quick to disagree with the suggestion that he could not find the pace during practice and sprint qualifying, instead identifying the cause of his third-place result.

"No, no, the pace was there," Norris explained. "I just made a mistake in the last corner on my first lap and didn't put it together.

"So, no, pace was there. Just didn't put it together."