Lando Norris has lost the championship lead for the first time this season after finishing fourth in Saudi Arabia. A crash during qualifying saw him start the race in tenth place, meaning he had a mountain to climb to step on the podium.
This is the second race that Norris has started in a low position in his McLaren, the fastest car on the grid. The Brit believes his aim to be perfect is hindering him, and he has conceded he might need to change his approach.
Lando Norris says he might need to change the way he approaches qualifying
Qualifying has been the Achilles’ heel for Lando Norris this season. The 24-year-old won from pole position in the opening race of the season. However, since Australia, Norris has failed to record a pole position and is yet to win again. The Brit labels his perfectionism as a key reason why.
Speaking exclusively to F1.com, Norris said: “I just put too much pressure on myself because I want to do well, like I want to do so well. I want to be on pole, I want to win, I want to be perfect. I think I need to accept a little bit more that I’m not going to be perfect. And I’m making mistakes because I’m trying to be perfect, rather than the other way around.”
“I think I just need to chill out a little bit and have a bit more trust in my speed, because my speed [in Saudi Arabia], and my speed in every race this season, has been, I think, the best. I’m very confident that I can win the races if I just give myself a better chance on Saturday.”
Lando Norris Admits Something Is Not Clicking Despite Podium
However, Norris was quick to say his approach has given him much success, adding: “I’ve learned to utilise it in a good way, and especially over the last half a year, year, I’ve tried to optimise it and use it in terms of making me better.”
Norris has shown good pace this season during the races. Despite starting further down the grid, he has recovered good results, with Saudi Arabia being the first time the Brit hasn’t stood on the podium. However, to win championships, he must show strong pace on Saturday. He won’t always be able to recover after a poor qualifying session.
How has qualifying cost Lando Norris the championship lead?
Lando Norris started the season strongly, winning the opening round in Australia from pole position. However, cracks began to show in round two at the Chinese GP. For the first sprint race of the season, Norris could only manage P6 in qualifying. This cost him valuable points as he tangled with midfield runners and dropped down a place by the end.
For the main race, Norris qualified third, but he had dominated the opening two sessions. He couldn’t improve on his Q2 time to allow Oscar Piastri and George Russell to start ahead. The real issues were ahead for Norris.
🟥| RED FLAG: Lando Norris has crashed in Q3.
Session suspended.#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/w3ntNO9XFw
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) April 19, 2025
The Bahrain GP saw Norris only qualify in P6, after he claimed it was like he had never driven an F1 car. This left him with a lot of work to do, but he recovered to stand third on the podium. In Saudi Arabia, Norris crashed on his first run in Q3, meaning he would start tenth. He recovered to P4, but it wasn’t enough for him to lose the championship lead for the first time this season. To battle back, he needs to improve his form on Saturdays.
