Piastri said: “Max has done another high speed circuit that appears to be a little more successful, another high speed circuit. Our pace is good. It’s going to be a tough race. The tires will be softer than last year.
Norris should rely on McLaren’s strong race pace to try to limit damage to championship positions.
His accident was caused by his misdetermined entry to the chicane on four and five turns. The car went over to the curb at 5am and was flicked against the exit wall, causing damage to the left side of the car.
He vowed on the radio to be “an idiot” but was unharmed.
“I’m disappointed, but it’s fine,” Norris said. “There’s a lot to do with the team. It’s been a smooth positive weekend so far, so I’m disappointed with such a big set-off. But I’ll have to take it on my chin and try again tomorrow.
“The cars are fast. The weekend was much faster, so we have to work hard to pass the cars tomorrow.”
Russell said he has “complex emotions” because he felt he had more in the car, adding that he had revived Mercedes’ decision not to use the same strategy as Red Bull after Red Flag.
At Ferrari, Hamilton’s struggles continued this season, highlighted by statistics that he was more qualified than the 7th place he managed this weekend.
“I wasn’t anywhere throughout the weekend,” Hamilton said. “I’m happier than yesterday. It wasn’t really easy, so the P7 is fine. There’s still more work to do to try and gel with this car.”
