Why was Lando Norris’ pole lap reinstated in Chinese GP sprint qualifying? McLaren boss shares insights

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has shed light on why Lando Norris' pole lap was deleted and reinstated during the 2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying session on Friday (April 19).

The third sprint qualifying session was plagued by heavy rain. Since the Shanghai Circuit was recently resurfaced with fresh tarmac, it became extremely slippery once wet. All 10 drivers in the final sprint qualifying session, including Norris, struggled to control their cars and keep them between the white lines.

Despite tricky conditions, Norris managed to clock the fastest lap of the session to bag a provisional pole position. However, his lap was automatically deleted due to track limits, allowing Lewis Hamilton to sit at the top of the pack.

As soon as the sprint qualifying ended, Norris' lap was reinstated by the race stewards, which eventually gave him the pole position for the sprint race on Saturday (April 20).

Speaking to Sky Sports after the session, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explained that because Lando Norris went off the track on the lap prior to his pole lap, the timing sensors did not count the following lap as well.

He added that Norris lost around three-tenths on his pole lap since he went off track at the last corner and lost speed on the start-finish straight.

"We think it might have been because in the last before he went off at the last corner and they might have thought in this case, having been off at the last corner, it might have implications for the following lap which is the pole lap. That lap is completely clean, so there is no problem at all," Stella said.

"It was reinstated by the FIA themselves. Definitely, because you go off at the last corner you go off at much lower speed and effectively Lando loses almost three tenths because he has been off at the previous last corner," he added.

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Lando Norris shares his views after bagging pole position at the 2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying

Lando Norris managed to bag pole position at the 2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying, under extreme rainy conditions.

Following the sprint qualifying in Shanghai, he explained how he was nervous when the conditions shifted from dry to wet. He added how a driver needs to take risks and keep building tire temperatures during wet conditions, which made the session trickier.

"I was quite happy with how it was in the dry, I think we’ve had good pace all weekend so far. I got a bit nervous. They’re conditions where you’ve just got to risk a lot, you’ve got to push, build tire temperature and so forth," Lando Norris said (via F1.com).

Norris added that he was faster than the Ferrari drivers, which forced him to back off from two flying laps. Though he wished he could have taken pole position in the main qualifying session for the Chinese GP, he was still happy with the sprint qualifying pole.

"I was quick, I just kept catching a Ferrari, so I had to keep backing off. I didn’t do the first two laps well at all, but I got a good final one, a good enough one for pole. I’m happy… sad it’s not for a proper qualifying, but it’s good enough," he added.

Lando Norris currently stands in fifth place in the 2024 F1 drivers' standings with 37 points, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri is in sixth with 32 points.