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Lando Norris cut a despondent look after crashing out of qualifying in the F1 Saudi Arabian GP. The British driver made it to Q3 with consummate ease, and then it was all about who was going to secure pole position.
At the start of Q3, it did appear that the McLaren duo would have the advantage over the rest of the field, but both Max Verstappen and George Russell were within catching distance. At the start of Q3, disaster struck for Norris as he crashed out of the session.
With Lando Norris, the battle for pole position was down to Oscar Piastri, Verstappen, and Russell. Ultimately the pole went to the Red Bull driver. For Norris, however, this means that he starts the race from P10 on a track where tire degradation is lower.
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The McLaren driver was first sent to the medical center, where he was thoroughly checked before being allowed to leave. Finally, when Norris faced the media, he was still upset. When questioned if he called himself a 'f**king idiot', the driver admitted it and then said:
“I should be fighting for pole and especially on a [first fast] lap, I shouldn't be taking any silly risks like I seem to have done. I need to go and review it all, like I said. You know, not a guarantee we would have been on pole, because Max looks like he did a good job. I mean, Red Bull were quick the whole of qualifying, it wasn't a surprise. So, it would have been nice just to be in that fight. I was doing well until then and feeling comfortable."
He added:
“But I mean, it makes sense, I shunted, you know. Again, I'm not going to be proud, I'm not going to be happy. I've let myself down, I've let the team down and the guys have got a big job to do now to fix it all. So, yeah, it's the way it is. I agree with what I said, but I still look forward to tomorrow and have to try and make up for today.”
Lando Norris looks ahead to the Saudi Arabian GP
Lando Norris was not too optimistic about what was in store for him in the race. The McLaren driver did highlight that overtaking is not the easiest on this track, and hence the challenge would be much higher.
“I’m disappointed, everyone's in the team a lot trickier for tomorrow and a lot harder because the guys have got a big job tonight to try and fix everything. But it's life, this happens on a rare occasion, so yeah, tough one. Got to look at the bright side and hope that we can have a good race tomorrow, I don't think it's going to be an easy one because I don't think it's very easy to overtake around here," Lando Norris said.
Unfortunately for Lando Norris, there are some very fast cars right in front of him. The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton is a fast car, and so are the likes of Carlos Sainz in his Williams. It will be interesting to see what kind of progress he can make on Sunday.
