Lando Norris has delivered a brutally honest assessment of his performance during qualifying for the F1 Bahrain GP.
Lando Norris is set for a mammoth task in the Bahrain GP if he is to keep his championship lead. Off the pace during qualifying, he struggled to extract the searing pace of team-mate Oscar Piastri. While Piastri took pole position by almost two-tenths of a second, Norris languished down in sixth place, almost half a second slower.
Speaking to the media after qualifying, Norris offered no excuses for his performance. He indicated he needed to find the cause of his lack of competitiveness.
“I was just slow. I’ve been slow this whole weekend, to be honest. Nothing too surprising, honestly. I’ve just been off it. “
I feel like I’ve just never driven an F1 car before. I’m struggling a lot, I don’t know why. I need to try and find some answers.”
Can Lando Norris win the F1 Bahrain GP?
Despite his very clear struggles on Saturday, Norris maintains the MCL39 is performing to a high standard in the Bahrain heat.
He believes the blame for his poor qualifying rests solely on his shoulders.
“The car’s amazing. I have nothing to complain about. The car, the team are doing an amazing job, Oscar’s on pole by a good chunk.
“I’m thankful for the team, they’re doing an amazing job, just I’m letting them down.”
Norris maintained that his goal is to win the F1 Bahrain GP, but believes this will be out of reach on race day.
He then delivered an ominous prediction for the race, given the pace of the MCL39.
“It’s to try and win the race, but I don’t think I’ll win tomorrow,” said Norris. “I think to try and aim for a podium will be the best chance.
“I think Oscar will lap everyone. I’ll try and get to second, I guess.”
Should Piastri take the lead in the driver’s championship after the Bahrain GP, this will be the first time the Australian has this accolade.
It would also mark the first time the driver’s championship has seen multiple leaders since the now infamous 2021 season.
