Lando Norris admitted he was an `idiot` after crashing in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He expressed regret for letting McLaren down and acknowledged that he needs luck to achieve a top-five finish in the race.
Norris`s hopes for a strong weekend after a disappointing Bahrain race were dashed in Jeddah. He lost control of his car during his first flying lap in Q3 and crashed into the barriers at Turn 5.
This accident places Norris in 10th position on the starting grid at the challenging Jeddah street circuit, where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
Following his crash, a frustrated Norris used strong language to describe himself over the team radio. He later confirmed to reporters that his self-criticism was justified, taking full responsibility for the error.
`It makes sense that I called myself an idiot,` Norris stated. `I should be competing for pole position, and making mistakes like that on a Q3 lap is unacceptable. I will review what happened.`
He added, `I agree with my self-assessment. I took unnecessary risks. I`m going to analyze everything.`
`It`s not guaranteed we would have gotten pole, as Max [Verstappen] was very quick. Red Bull`s pace throughout qualifying was strong, which wasn`t unexpected. But I wanted to be in that battle.`
Norris, who had been fastest in Q2, continued, `I was performing well and feeling comfortable until the crash.`
`But my self-description is accurate, I crashed. I`m not proud or happy about it. I`ve let myself and the team down, and the team now has a significant repair job ahead of them.`
`That`s the reality. I stand by what I said, but I`m still focused on tomorrow and determined to recover from today`s mistake.`
Norris Tempering Expectations for Top-Five Finish
Norris admitted that achieving a top-five finish from tenth on the grid would be challenging, considering the nature of the Jeddah circuit.
`I will speak with my engineers, apologize, and discuss our strategy for Sunday,` he said.
`We`ll need some luck. Overtaking here is extremely difficult, so I`m not expecting miracles, but we do have a capable car.`
`If we can climb into the top five or six, I`d be satisfied.`
`Realistically, our car wasn`t quick enough for pole, and our pace wasn`t significantly better than Max or even George [Russell]. Competing with them for the win might be unrealistic, but aiming for the top five is a reasonable goal.`
Norris currently leads the championship by a narrow margin. His teammate, Piastri, is just three points behind, and Verstappen is eight points adrift.
If Piastri wins the race, he will take the championship lead, regardless of Norris`s result. Verstappen could also lead the championship for the first time in 2025 if he wins and Norris finishes third or lower.
Marcus Prine