“Everyone tried their best”: McLaren boss reacts after Lando Norris’ shocking Q1 exit in Baku

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was left disappointed after Lando Norris' exit from the Q1 session at the F1 2024 Azerbaijan GP on Saturday. The Italian was left confused with the situation involving the yellow flags which forced the British driver to abort his flying lap.

Norris on his final flying lap of the Q1 session caught up with the slow-moving Alpine of Esteban Ocon, who had punctured his rear left tire after a possible collision with the barriers in the middle sector. The 24-year-old was told to slow down for the yellow flags by the team and eventually qualified P17 for the main race.

Speaking with Sky Sports, the McLaren team boss commented on the unfortunate nature of the incident and mentioned that they were in discussions with the FIA:

"The team didn't say it because it was displayed last minute and we checked right now in our tools and it is actually displayed as a yellow, so we were in conversations with the FIA as to why that happened because the yellow flag isn't necessary when there's a car is just a slow car, it is not on a flying lap."

"Everyone tried their best I'm sure, this time there was a situation that ideally, and I think by the regulations, shouldn't have happened. We paid the price but we don't give up. We move on, we will do our best tomorrow to get some good points."

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Lando Norris analyzes his qualifying session in Baku

McLaren driver Lando Norris stated that he believes his final Q1 lap was 'good enough' to get out of the danger zone and move into the next stage of the qualifying session.

As per BBC, a downbeat Lando Norris was pessimistic about his chances in the main race and said:

“The lap was easily good enough but there was a yellow flag so I had to back off. Following is pretty much impossible around here and overtaking is a lot worse than everyone thinks.

“I am not expecting much from 17th, but we will put in a good plan tonight and do our best of course. I have been wrong, and I hope there are plenty of chances, but I’m not expecting so.”

Lando Norris was unfortunately caught out by the massive track evolution in the final stages of the Q1 session. Starting from P17, the McLaren driver will hope for a quick recovery in the early stages of the race and score as many points as he can in a bid to minimize the damage in the championship.