Norris later aimed a cheeky little dig at the reigning F1 world champion – but in the moment, the 23-year-old's voice dripped with emotion as he drunk in the moment.
“Yeah, baby! Awesome job, awesome job,” Norris said over the radio after being told he would start the race from the front row.
“Is Zak happy?” he then asked, referencing team boss Zak Brown.
Behind Norris, his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri was a stunning third - his best F1 qualifying performance - proving that the new MCL60 upgrades are working fantastically.
“I was close you know," Norris told Jenson Button immediately after Q3. "I was P1 in Q1, I think I was P1 in Q2, I think.
"Close, two-tenths to P1 in Q3. Pretty insane, my last lap was a good lap. I could hear Zak on the radio on the inlap which was the best thing ever.
“It’s always Max, he always ruins everything for everyone. I’m very happy, I got some big thanks to the whole crowd here. It’s been a very special day for us, I look forward to tomorrow.
“It makes up for everything. All the hard work that we’ve been putting in. Especially here with the new livery, our home race for the team, for myself, we couldn’t have had a better result today apart from Max again, who ruins everything."