Lando Norris was typically self-critical as he reflected on his crash in the late stages of qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Despite sitting top of the drivers' championship, Norris has not looked entirely comfortable in his McLaren MCL39 so far this season. With his teammate Oscar Piastri looming large in the rear-view mirror, just three points behind in the standings, he is feeling the pressure, making a mistake as he was caught on the kerb early in an over-egged first flying lap.
The smash brought out the red flags, leaving Norris to start Sunday’s Grand Prix from tenth place. As overtaking is notoriously difficult at the Jeddah Corniche circuit, he forecast a tricky recovery drive.
He said: “It’s almost impossible to overtake around here, so I’m not expecting anything magical.
“But we have a good car, so if we can work our way up to the top five, six, I will say I’ll be happy.”
While Norris is more than talented enough to challenge for the world championship, many have questioned his mental fortitude. A perfectionist, he tends to dwell on such incidents.
He continued, examining the new knock to his confidence: “I was doing well until [the crash] and feeling comfortable. I shunted, so I am not going to be proud, I'm not going to be happy.
“I've let myself and the team down, and the guys have a big job to do to fix it.
“I should be fighting for pole and, especially on a [first fast] lap, not taking any silly risks like I seem to have done.”
Max Verstappen, now a four-time World Champion, qualified on pole for the second time this season. Piastri, though, is confident he will be able to make the most of Jeddah’s three DRS zones to catch the Dutchman.
He said: “I'm feeling confident in what we've got. Let’s see if we can make some progress.”
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will begin at 6pm BST on Sunday.
