Lando Norris acknowledged his `idiot` self-description after crashing in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He admitted letting McLaren down and anticipates needing `a bit of luck` to achieve a top-five finish in the race.
The championship leader`s aspirations to recover from a challenging Bahrain weekend were significantly hampered on Saturday in Jeddah. He lost control of his car and crashed into the barriers on the fifth corner of his first flying lap in the crucial Q3 session.
This accident positions Norris in 10th place on the grid for a street circuit known for difficult overtaking.
Red Bull`s Max Verstappen and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri secured first and second qualifying positions, respectively. Norris`s predicament suggests either of them could overtake him in the championship standings for the first time this season on Sunday.
Following the crash, a frustrated Norris immediately called himself an `idiot` over the team radio. He later confirmed this self-assessment to reporters upon returning to the paddock.
`It makes sense,` Norris stated, recalling his sixth-place qualification and subsequent third-place finish in Bahrain.
`Yes, I agree with it. I should be competing for pole position, and especially on a Q1 lap, I shouldn`t be taking unnecessary risks like I did. I will review everything,` he added.
`It`s not guaranteed we would have been on pole, as Max appeared strong again. Red Bull was fast throughout qualifying, which wasn`t surprising. It would have been good to be in that fight.`
Norris, who set the pace in Q2, added: `I was performing well and feeling comfortable until then.`
`But it`s understandable [his self-criticism], I crashed. Again, I`m not proud or happy about it. I`ve let myself and the team down, and the team now has a significant task to repair everything.`
`So, that`s the situation. I agree with what I said, but I`m still looking forward to tomorrow and will try to compensate for today.`
`We`re going to need a bit of luck` – Norris Lowers Top-Five Expectations
Norris conceded that even a top-five finish from the fifth row of the grid would be challenging, given the nature of the fast Jeddah street circuit with 27 corners.
`I will speak with my engineers to apologize and discuss our strategy for [Sunday],` he mentioned.
`We`ll try to develop a solid plan, but we`ll need some luck. Overtaking here is extremely difficult, almost impossible, so I`m not expecting miracles, but we have a competitive car.`
`If we can progress to the top five or six, I`d be satisfied.`
`Our car wasn`t on pole pace, and our speed wasn`t significantly better than Max`s; even George [Russell] isn`t far behind. So, aiming to get close to them might be unrealistic, but targeting the top five is probably our goal.`
Norris currently leads the championship by just three points over teammate Piastri, while Verstappen trails by eight points.
Piastri could take the championship lead for the first time in his career if he wins Sunday`s race, regardless of Norris`s finish. Similarly, reigning champion Verstappen could lead for the first time in 2025 if he wins and Norris finishes third or lower.
