"He's gone from bottling it late in Q3, to now bottling it in the early minutes itself": Fans react to Lando Norris' crash

F1 fans on social media have had their say after Lando Norris crashed during his first flying lap during Q3 in the Saudi Arabian GP qualifying on Saturday. Fans online are yet again accusing the Briton of "bottling" what looked to be yet another front-row start.

Lando Norris crashed during his first quick lap, as the 25-year-old was following his teammate, Oscar Piastri, as the first few drivers to set a time in the final session of the qualifying. The McLarens looked close to locking the front row for the race all weekend, but this crash now means Norris will start P10 tomorrow, unless he needs to take a new Power Unit or gearbox due to that crash.

F1 fans on social media have come out to criticize Norris yet again, with a majority of them wondering if the pressure of fighting for the championship is getting to the McLaren man.

Poor, Lando. Goodness, me. Let's go give him a hug! He's gone from bottling it late in Q3, to now bottling it in the early minutes itself," said one fan.

"I keep telling you every week. Lando Norris is a bottler," said another user.

"Lando is feeling the pressure from his teammate," claimed yet another fan.

While most fans took this opportunity to criticize Norris, there were also a few who wondered if this is a mental advantage to Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship.

"Piastri vs Verstappen championship," said one fan.

"Oscar confidence 📈 Lando’s confidence 📉 But never count Max out👀", said another user.

"That's gonna cost him WC lead," said another fan.

Norris' crash in Q3 meant that his closest championship rivals, Verstappen and Norris, finished on the front row for the race tomorrow. Verstappen edged Piastri out by just 0.010 seconds to claim his second pole position of the season.

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Lando Norris' damning two-word reaction after crashing out in Q3 at the Saudi Arabian GP qualifying

Lando Norris in action at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Qualifying - Source: Getty

Lando Norris gave a two-word self-critical reaction to crashing out during his first flying lap in Q3 for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Briton lamented himself for losing it while coming out of turn four, and crashing into the left side wall.

After confirming that he was OK following the crash with his race engineer, Norris shared his unfiltered thoughts about the crash.

"F****** idiot," said Lando.

Norris has now missed yet another opportunity to grab hold of the 2025 Drivers' championship with his crash in qualifying. The McLaren driver will start the race in P10, if he does not have to take a PU or gearbox penalty, and will hope to make amends on Sunday.

Currently, Norris leads the drivers' championship over his teammate by just three points, and Verstappen is also not too far behind, sitting in third with 69 points, just eight less than the leader. The chasing pack, which also includes George Russell (P3 for Sunday's Grand Prix), could now take advantage of Norris' low starting position during the race on Sunday, and the Briton could even find himself as low as P4, if he is unable to make his way through the traffic on Sunday.