After a series of strong free practice sessions, a one-two finish for McLaren seemed a certainty during the qualifying round in Bahrain. The papayas proved unbeatable under the dry desert conditions. Oscar Piastri secured pole position at the Bahrain International Circuit, while Lando Norris clocked a disappointing sixth time. The Brit had to retreat in despair.
Following the qualifying round, an emotional Lando Norris appeared before the cameras of F1TV. “I was just slow,” he sighed, visibly disappointed. “I’ve been slow all weekend. It doesn’t really surprise me – I just wasn’t feeling it. I don’t know. It feels like I’ve never driven a Formula 1 car before. I was really struggling with the car and I just don’t know why. I’ll have to look for answers.”
The interviewer tried to cheer him up somewhat: “In the race, you’re usually faster than in qualifying, right?” he asked hopefully. “We’ll see,” Norris responded dejectedly. “The car is fantastic, so I absolutely can’t complain. Oscar (Piastri) is even on pole position, by a considerable margin. I’m incredibly grateful to the team, but I’m just letting them down right now,” he concluded.
