Norris outlines Qatar 'struggle' after drawing first blood

Lando Norris has explained why he "struggled" during sprint qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver claimed the first pole of the weekend at the Lusail International Circuit, pipping George Russell and team-mate Oscar Piastri.

The British driver spoke about the difficult conditions he and his rivals faced immediately after securing the optimal starting position for the sprint.

"The wind plays a big part, but the conditions are also a lot better than last season," he reflected. "[It] makes it a lot tougher physically, but also makes it a lot quicker to drive."

Despite claiming pole, Norris felt he was lacking in certain areas of the track, particularly the last third.

"I struggled to, but I think some of the other cars are close to being flat in most of the corners in the final sector - that's quite an accomplishment," he pointed out.

"It feels quick, and when it feels quick, it must be very fast. It's a challenge out there, not easy to put a lap together, especially because the tyres don't feel 'in' for the beginning [of the lap], and then kind of through the lap, you gain confidence.

"So that's been the challenge of today, but it's paid off. We made some good improvements into qualifying, and I was happy with it."

As the clock counted down, the British driver peeled into the pit lane, not needing his final attempted to better his rivals.

"It's tough because it's so quick around here," Norris said. "It feels like the quickest circuit of the year. The final sector just feels like you're just hanging on.

"Great qualifying today, especially to bounce back from where we were last time out in Vegas - it's a nice thing to do.

"So, happy, was a decent lap. I made too many mistakes on my second [run] but we were coming here to get pole, and we did that. So job done for today."

Looking ahead to the sprint itself, the three-time grand prix winner was clear in his goal for the race.

"I want to win," he stated, outlining the necessity at a pivot point for the constructors' championship. "We want to win every session as drivers. Our target is a one two - we want to maximise points for our constructors' [fight]. So, we want to go for it.

"We know it's going to be a battle. We know Mercedes will be quick, Ferrari will be fast, so not expecting an easy one, probably expecting an exciting one for everyone watching, so looking forward to tomorrow."