Lando Norris said he did not intend to use his team mate’s car to gain the benefit of a slipstream when he began his first timed run in Q3.
Oscar Piastri called his team mate “cheeky” on his radio after completing his first lap and being passed by Norris who was starting his. Norris gained a slight advantage from running in the slipstream of Piastri’s car as they joined the pit straight.
However Norris said he did not specifically seek out his team mate’s car to gain a tow.
“I didn’t know Oscar was going out first, to be honest,” he said. “I tried to get a slipstream from someone. I think I was unlucky that it was Oscar, it was just a coincidence.
“I was tenth or something in the queue, I don’t know who I’m going to get a slipstream from because you’re waiting for two minutes in the pit lane. So yeah, it was just a coincidence.”
Having been slower than Piastri for much of qualifying, the lap on which Norris gained a slipstream put him provisionally onto pole position. He improved again with his final lap but was unable to prevent Piastri from taking pole off him.
“The speed was easily there today,” Norris admitted. “Sometimes you just don’t put the laps in.
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“Today was good. I think I was a little bit behind at the start of qualifying and I caught up nicely. I know where I lost that time on the final lap. It was just trying a little bit too much and just not being quite tidy enough.
“Especially around a lap like Barcelona: one little oversteer in turn one, turn two, you already know it’s going to be a tricky rest of the lap.
“It’s still good. I still feel fine. I’m happy with second, especially in Barcelona – it’s not the end of the world.”
Piastri was satisfied with Norris’s explanation. “I went out very early for the first run of Q3 and I think it was just coincidence that Lando ended up behind me opening the lap,” he said.
“Of course, when you cross the line to start your lap, it’s maybe not the nicest feeling, but we’ll discuss it. There was nothing untoward going on.”
“Unless Lando’s going to spill his master plan that him and Will [Joseph, his race engineer] had,” he joked. “But I think it was just coincidence.”
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