Norris wins crazy Sochi qualifying

Hardly anyone expected that he would be able to drive his McLaren to pole position in Sochi. But Norris was the surprise winner in the crazy Formula 1 qualifying on Saturday and will go into the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday (14.00 p.m.) from the very front. Just as unexpectedly, Carlos Sainz came second in the Ferrari and George Russell third in the Williams.

“I risked quite a lot, but it was worth it. “Hopefully it’s the first pole of many,” said Norris, who particularly coldly duped Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton, record winner in Sochi with four race successes, only came fourth and made mistakes he had not seen for a long time: four minutes before the end he destroyed his front wing when he hit the pit wall and spun on his last fast lap. Only fourth place. Last year's winner Bottas came seventh. So far, the Silver Arrows have won all seven races on the course since their premiere in 2014.

Placed second and third: Carlos Sainz and George Russell © ANSA / Yuri Kochetkov / POOL

Particularly bitter: Hamilton was unable to take advantage of World Cup rival Max Verstappen's engine change as hoped. The leader in the overall standings decided not to do a timed lap on the initially wet track at the start of the knockout rounds. Because of an unauthorized engine change, the 23-year-old Dutchman has to start from the back in his Red Bull anyway. In the standings he is five points ahead of Hamilton. Norris really plays poker Before the hunt for times could even begin, persistent heavy rain made it necessary to cancel the last free practice session. In the morning there was such heavy rainfall that the safety of the drivers on the route could not be guaranteed and driving was simply impossible. Only 30 minutes before qualification did the conditions improve significantly. Norris was the cleverest in the end and put on the dry tires at the perfect moment.

“It was a great team effort. It was important to be on the track at the right time with the right tires. This is a great result for us,” said McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl. It was the first pole position for the traditional British team since 2012. The racing team is continuing the positive trend of the previous weeks. At the race in Monza two weeks ago there was a surprising double success: The Australian Daniel Ricciardo won in Italy ahead of Norris.

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Norris wins crazy Sochi qualifying

After his sensational drive to first place on the grid, Lando Norris hugged his mechanics and let the Russian audience celebrate him. “Oh boy, this feels amazing. You don’t think you can do it, but it worked,” said the 21-year-old.

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