Can McLaren bounce back from a dismal Friday?

He did finish P1 in the Sprint Shootout earlier in the day, but then was powerless to fight off Max Verstappen, whose mighty Red Bull went on to a controlled victory, without any real challenge except a hard-chasing Norris who was good enough for second by quite a margin, and not so far off the winning #1 RB19's.

After qualifying P7 for the main event on Sunday, Norris summed up his session: "It was great, honestly. The car was amazing. Easily probably quick enough to be the quickest today and on pole. So, pretty gutted for that to end the way we did.

"I don’t know what do feel about it. The car was amazing, it came alive a lot in qualifying and easily good enough to be quickest.

"Obviously delivering the lap and putting it together in Q3 and everything is a different job, but easily quick enough. Disappointing, but not a lot we could have done."

Buy the car is fast in race trim, second only to the Red Bull's and Verstappen's specifically. Sergio Perez was third in Saturday's F1 Sprint Race, but almost ten seconds down on Norris after 24 laps.

In the other McLaren, Piastri has struggled to match Norris as he had in recent races, the rookie spoke after his first Qualifying at Interlagos: "Just lost a lot of grip. I don’t know if it was already raining or what, but I was struggling a lot already on the lap, I think everyone was based on how slow the laps were.

"Just went in how I thought I did the last lap and slid straight off. It’s a shame, the pace of the car was looking good," lamented Piastri, who will line up P10 on the grid.

On the evidence of Saturday's Sp[rint Race, both McLKarens are well faster than the cars ahead of them barring the Red Bulls, preserving tyres well while most of thecars around them did not. But the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes are likely to be keeping their powder dry for the Grand Prix.

To bounce back to a podium finish, P2 possibly, Norris will have to contend with a chasing pack, where contact is possible and even likely. This will be frustrating as a clear track, or just Max ahead, would be far better than tackling the ahead of themselves Aston Martin duo ahead of him on the grid, as well as the Mercedes chaps, who all will be doing the McLarens no favours on Sunday.