Qualifying in Spain went off to a rocky start for McLaren, as a fire broke out in the team’s hospitality box. It led to them having to make several logistical changes, including Lando Norris moving to a different place to stay for the day.
McLaren had to evacuate its box following the alert, and the Fire Department soon came out to control the situation. Unfortunately, one member of the staff got injured in the fire and had to be taken to hospital, where thankfully, he got the all-clear soon.
‼️lewis and max saying that lando had many offers to come to their motor homes (when mclaren motorhome had the fire) and max bringing up that he could have used george’s ID card : pic.twitter.com/Lfg7q3mNMK
— sim (@sim3744) June 22, 2024
Norris meanwhile, lost a pair of shoes in the fire and he has since been relocated to team CEO Zak Brown’s office. The 24-year-old appears to be in good spirits, and joked about sharing the office with his boss. He also revealed a small change in his pre-race routine.
“I like to listen to my music – Oscar [Piastri] complains a lot when my music’s too loud pre-sessions – but I didn’t have that this time. I’ve taken over Zak’s [Brown] office so now he’s a bit unhappy.”
Norris thanked the other teams for helping McLaren members out. They offered to host the team’s guests and staff members, arranging food for all of them. An incident as big and serious as this could have rattled the Woking-based outfit and its drivers, but Norris wasn’t one of them.
Lando Norris unfazed by the fire and the subsequent changes
Norris did not lose his focus following the nervy moments he had encountered at the McLaren hospitality area. He registered a near-prefect lap during his final Q3 run to get the pole position, finishing two hundredths of a second ahead of Max Verstappen.
McLaren have only had two pole positions in the last decade…
They’ve both been achieved by Lando Norris pic.twitter.com/US0kEKeRnN
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) June 22, 2024
Norris spoke to the media in the aftermath of Qualifying, and admitted that he new it was a good lap midway into it. He was getting excited throughout, and “the whole thing went perfectly in the end.”
McLaren showed good pace in Barcelona on Saturday, and despite Red Bull being the pre-race favorites, Norris has tipped the scales in his favor. He would be hoping to make the best use of this fast pace, and climb the top step of the podium once more.
