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Lando Norris was the fastest man throughout the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP weekend, after topping the timesheets in FP2, FP3, and Q2. The McLaren driver looked set to start at the front only to hit the wall early in final session, which denied him a potential pole at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Norris will start the fifth race of the 2025 Fomula 1 season in 10th instead. The British driver has secured 10 career pole positions so far, converting four of them into race wins and three further into podium finishes. However, he has also had a handful of missed opportunities where crashes or last-minute errors took him out of contention.
These setbacks often came after promising showings in practice or early qualifying phases. Among those, Azerbaijan 2024 and Saudi Arabia 2023 stand out as sessions where poor luck or miscalculations left Norris without the results his speed promised.
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Here are three times Lando Norris crashed out after looking poised to challenge for pole.
#1 Lando Norris crashes out in Q3 at the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP
There was real momentum behind Norris heading into qualifying at Jeddah. He had been the benchmark in FP3 and carried that form into Q2, setting the quickest time of the session of 1:27.481. But the McLaren driver clipped the inside kerb in Q3, on entry into Turn 5. The car snapped sideways and went straight into the outside barrier, damaging the front-left suspension and ending his session.
The Briton climbed out visibly dejected, later calling the error "frustrating" and taking full blame in his post-session interview. The aftermath of the crash made the moment sting further as polesitter Max Verstappen was only a tenth faster than Norris' Q2 effort, and teammate Oscar Piastri eventually lined up in P2. For a driver leading the championship, this might be a clear missed opportunity to extend his advantage.
#2 Lando Norris' massive Q3 crash at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps 2021 was the first time Lando Norris looked like a genuine pole contender at a classic circuit. Having gone quickest in both Q1 and Q2 in extremely wet conditions, he was carrying major momentum into Q3. But early in the session, with rain intensifying, he lost the rear at Eau Rouge and crashed hard into the barriers.
His Q2 lap time of 1:56.025 remained the fastest on the day but his inability to continue forced him to start the race in 15th place. While he escaped with a bruised elbow, McLaren mechanics worked overtime to rebuild the car for Sunday’s race.
The #4 McLaren team put on a spirited performance to finish P14, after an unfortunate puncture ended his late charge in the Grand Prix. The incident drew concern from fellow drivers, including Sebastian Vettel, who had radioed immediately for a red flag just moments before Norris went off.
#3 Lando Norris' costly Q3 crash at the 2022 Emilia Romagna GP
Lando Norris looked set for something special at Imola in 2022. The McLaren driver had quietly built momentum through the wet qualifying sessions and slotted himself into the top three with an impressive initial Q3 run.
As the final minutes ticked down, Norris was potentially eyeing a front-row start battling with Haas Factory Team's Kevin Magnussen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. But pushing too hard into the Acque Minerali chicane proved costly as a snap of oversteer sent him spinning into the barriers, bringing out a red flag.
Although his earlier lap was enough to secure P3 on the grid, the crash effectively ended any hope of an even better result. More crucially, it robbed other drivers of a final chance to improve. He managed to bounce back well to finish on the podium in P3 on race day as Verstappen ran pole-to-pole.
