F1 pundit makes feelings clear on Lando Norris doing ‘something that very few drivers have done in the past’

F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe has praised Lando Norris for his honest and self-aware approach to handling mistakes on track. The McLaren driver recently garnered media attention for his openly self-critical takes, both in interviews and on the team radio.

Norris struggled for pace during the Bahrain GP and qualified outside the top-five. Despite gaining ground during the race to secure third place, the papaya driver expressed disappointment in his performance over the weekend.

His candid reflection went against the grain of usual post-race discourse, with many offering their sympathies for the 25-year-old. The same trend followed when Norris crashed out of qualifying in Saudi Arabia, forcing him to start eight spots adrift of his championship rival and teammate Oscar Piastri.

Writing for Formula1.com, Hinchcliffe commended Norris' unusual approach and called him brave for embracing it.

"He has done something that very few drivers have done in the past. He has made his self-criticism very public more often than not. He is the first to slam a mistake on a Qualifying lap or a missed opportunity in a race. If anything goes wrong on-track, the assembled media now just expect him to drop a self-deprecating soundbite into his post-session interview," he wrote.

"Norris has the self-awareness to understand that this completely honest approach is what works for him....Even if you could identify that this technique helped you cope with inevitable errors, having the guts to stick with it when it goes against the perceived playbook for how to be a great driver is a massive challenge. I’m not sure many could do it," he added.

Lando Norris recently responded to a show of support from former F1 driver Sebastian Vettel, who'd also lauded Norris for his honesty and implored him to continue on the same path.

Piastri snatched Norris' lead after taking the top step at Jeddah, while the Briton's fourth place finish had him two points ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen.

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Lando Norris berates himself after crashing out of Saudi Arabian qualifying

With Piastri poised to overthrow his championship lead, Lando Norris was under immense pressure to deliver during the final qualifying round at Jeddah. The Briton set the pace in Q2 and was well on his way to repeating the same when he suffered a snap of oversteer and lost control of his MCL39.

Consequently, the McLaren driver crashed into the barriers and exited Q3. Frustrated with the result, Norris threw expletives in the team radio.

"F**king idiot," he said.

Verstappen went on to score his second pole of the season while Piastri slotted beside him in the front row. Meanwhile, Lando Norris's last pole came from the season-opening Australian GP, where he converted his front-row start into a race win.