Monaco pole 'a big thing' for Norris but there's jeopardy

Lando Norris said his pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix was a "step in the right direction" and "quite a big thing" after being unhappy with his form since the start of this season.

The McLaren driver trails team-mate Oscar Piastri by 13 points in the championship after the Australian's four victories to Norris' one.

The pole was Norris' first since the Australian Grand Prix at the start of the season, while Piastri has taken three.

Norris said: "To classify it as a breakthrough, you also need consistency of results.

"I can look at it both ways. It's a breakthrough that I had a good Saturday. For me it's at least a step in the right direction, which I'm very, very happy about.

"But it's one weekend. Consistency is a big part of it, too, and I will be happier if I know and can get to that point where I am confident into every session that I can perform like I did today, because I think my performance was at a very, very strong level.

"If I go into Barcelona and Canada and the next few races and I can perform at this level, that is my goal.

But certainly today is a step in the right direction, whether it's a small step or big step, it's a step and that's all I need for now."

Norris beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.109 seconds in an exciting session in Monaco, as pole swapped between Norris and the Monegasque over their runs.

Leclerc did one flying lap, while McLaren chose to do two, staying out on track but cooling their tyres in between. Norris took pole, Leclerc snatched it from him, before the Briton grabbed it back again.

Norris has been working hard on improving his qualifying performance this season, after explaining that he has been finding it difficult to trust the McLaren car enough to be able to take it consistently to the limit in qualifying.

Asked to explain his step forward, he said: "Things from the car, just it being Monaco and a very different layout, a very different kind of style of driving that's needed here. It's a lot more risk commitment rather than just absolute car balance, in a way.

"And also things that I've been working on to improve, to do a better job.

"Never because I've not had the pace - just more that I've never put it together come Q3. today was probably the first time since Australia that I've really put it all together.

"It's not like I'm driving quicker, it's I'm driving in a better way, in a smarter way.

"But there's been a lot of work that's gone on. For me, even if I was pole in any other track, I think it probably would have been the pole that's meant the most to me.

"It probably means even more that's in Monaco, but more because of what's happened over the last couple of months. It may not seem like a lot, but for me, it's quite a big thing. So, yeah, like I said, a very, very good moment."

He said he always believed he would get on top of the problem.

"I don't think I have ever doubted what I can do," Norris said. "I have got frustrated. I have been unhappy, because that's normal if you don't win, don't get pole, you're not going to be happy, especially when it's where you should be. It's what the objective is.

"Of course I've had those moments but I have never certainly this year doubted what I am capable of doing and having a day like today backs all that up so I'm happy with that."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Norris had done a "phenomenal job" in applying the work the team had done with him in recent weeks, and described Norris' performance as "an important step in the process" which "will somehow reassure Lando".

But he added: "I kind of have a sense that there is quite a lot more to be extracted, so I take this very positively, but I am excited and I look forward to the steps further that we will be able to do in the future."

Were this a normal Monaco weekend, Norris could be pretty confident of converting his pole into a win because overtaking is so difficult.

But new rules this year introduce a mandatory minimum of two pit stops, in an attempt to increase the level of uncertainty.

Stella said that the situation facing the teams was "tricky" and a "material threat" to McLaren's chances of a win.

"As a function of red flags, safety cars, team work, we may see cars helping each other of the same team," Stella said.

"The scenarios to consider are definitely many more than what you normally consider, not only in Monaco, but in any other race that we need to prepare."