Lando Norris has revealed why he decided to abort his final flying lap in the final moments of qualifying for Formula 1‘s Qatar Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver and title leader dived into the pits with just seconds left on the clock at the Lusail International Circuit, leaving Oscar Piastri free to nab top spot.
Piastri will now line up on pole position with Norris second, with the race’s result determining whether Norris will become World Champion, or whether the fight will rumble on into Abu Dhabi.
Norris, who had been noted for track limit infringements across the session, was plagued by understeer, a common anomaly for a number of drivers across the field in qualifying.
And the Briton revealed to media including Motorsport Week that it caused a moment early in the lap, which left him feeling it was pointless to continue.
“No idea. Don’t care now. It’s too late,” he said when asked to speculate on how much improvement he could have made on his first run in Q3. “Oscar did a very good job today.
“I certainly felt a bit more comfortable in the car today. I could push it a bit more in the way I wanted. I felt better. I felt like I did a good first lap. I felt like there was plenty of places I thought I could go quicker. I think Turn 2 wasn’t necessarily one of them, but it was one where I just caught a bit of an understeer for some reason, and that was it.
“It was frustrating because I certainly think I could have done a better job and improved on my lap a good amount, but I didn’t, so second on the grid for tomorrow.”
Asked why he did not come back round to complete one final lap, as time was still on his side to do so, Norris replied: “I had no fuel, so I can’t do that.”
Norris predicts ‘pretty boring’ Qatar GP
The Sprint was a processional event with minimal overtaking, a big factor being the short DRS zone on the run down to Turn 1.
Norris, whilst feeling more cheerful about his package in qualifying in comparison to the Sprint and Sprint qualifying, acknowledged that, unless he can pass Piastri at the start, the likelihood of beating him is low.
“Obviously, it’s not made me do much better, but I still felt a lot better,” he said. “I felt like I could at least challenge for pole today. I also had a lot of damage on the car in the end of Q3 yesterday, so I think that certainly helps as well.
“Obviously, like Oscar said, the long run down to Turn 1 is a good opportunity for anyone to gain or lose positions. Otherwise, apart from that, I think it’s going to be a pretty boring and straightforward race.”
Reminded of the fact that a win on Sunday will make him World Champion, Norris reiterated that unless he gets into Turn 1 first, the fight will likely go on to the final round in Abu Dhabi next week.
“I’m second, so not a lot of chance for me to win at the minute, but I just focus on trying to get a good start,” he said.
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