McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed pole position for the 2021 Russian Grand Prix. He overcoming damp conditions at the Sochi Autodrom to take a shock P1. The Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and the Williams of George Russell rounding out a surprise top three.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was on the provisional pole going into the final laps of Q3. But the seven-time champion then hit the pit wall as he came in to change for slicks. He spun on his last lap, claiming P4.
Monza winner Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for McLaren, ahead of the Alpine of Fernando Alonso. The second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas claimed P7. Lance Stroll P8 for Aston Martin, ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
Meanwhile, with a back-of-the-grid start for Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen opted not to set a lap in qualifying. He’ll be joined at the back of the pack on Sunday by Charles Leclerc. Nicholas Latifi also got hit with a penalty for changing power units.
So the story just keeps getting better for McLaren – but what can Lando Norris and the team achieve in Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix?
Here’s the starting grid for this weekend:
Stay tuned with Artifex.News for further updates
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
