McLaren looked strong from the outset in the team’s new MCL38 chassis. Both Norris and Piastri, in his first full F1 season, easily progressed to Q3. However, Norris oversteered exiting Turn 1 on his last flyer, costing him critical time. “It cost me easily one and a half tenths, and one and a half tenths today was easily P2,” explained Norris. He pushed too hard subsequently trying to recover, sliding at Turn 4.
