Lando Norris has reiterated his self-criticism, labeling himself an `idiot` after crashing in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He admitted to letting McLaren down and anticipates needing `luck` to achieve a top-five finish in the race.
Norris`s aspirations to recover from a challenging weekend in Bahrain were dealt a significant blow on Saturday in Jeddah. He lost control of his car and crashed into the barriers on just the fifth corner of his first flying lap in the crucial Q3 session.
This incident places Norris in 10th position on the starting grid for a street circuit known for its difficulty in overtaking.
Following his crash, a visibly frustrated Norris used strong language to describe himself over the team radio. He later confirmed to reporters that he felt his initial assessment was accurate.
`It makes sense,` Norris stated, recalling his previous qualifying in sixth place in Bahrain before finishing third in the race.
`Yes, I agree with it. I should be competing for pole position, and especially on a Q3 lap, I shouldn`t be taking unnecessary risks as I seemed to do. I plan to review everything,` he added.
Norris, who had been fastest in Q2, commented, `I was performing well up to that point and feeling comfortable.`
`But it is understandable why I said it, because I crashed. Again, I`m not proud or happy about it. I`ve let myself and the team down, and the team now faces a significant task to repair the damage.`
`So, that`s the reality. I stand by my words, but I`m still looking forward to tomorrow and will strive to compensate for today`s mistake.`
`We`ll Need Some Luck` – Norris Lowers Expectations for Top-Five Finish
Norris conceded that achieving a top-five finish from the fifth row of the grid would be challenging, considering the nature of the fast Jeddah street circuit.
`I will go and apologize to my engineers and discuss our strategy for Sunday,` he said.
`We will devise a plan, but we will require some luck. Overtaking here is incredibly challenging, almost impossible, so I`m not expecting miracles, even though we have a competitive car.`
`If we can climb to the top five or six, I would consider that a success.`
`Our car wasn`t the fastest in qualifying; our pace wasn`t significantly ahead of Max, and even George Russell isn`t far behind. So, aiming to challenge them directly might be unrealistic, but targeting a top-five finish is a reasonable goal.`
Norris currently leads the championship by a narrow margin of three points over his teammate Piastri, with Verstappen trailing by eight points.
Piastri could potentially overtake Norris in the championship standings if he wins Sunday`s race, regardless of Norris`s finishing position. Similarly, Verstappen could take the championship lead for the first time in 2025 if he wins and Norris finishes third or lower.
