Lando Norris reacts to heartbreaking qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Lando Norris reflected on a disappointing qualifying session ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which saw him displaced during a fast lap in Q1 due to a yellow flag caused by a slow Esteban Ocon. As a result, Norris was unable to advance to Q2 and will start from 17th place on the grid.

“Everyone got to do their second lap, I didn’t. I think it was Ocon. I had to go,” explained a visibly frustrated Norris. The yellow flag flashed briefly, but its timing was enough to disrupt Norris’ lap, causing him to lose valuable time.

In contrast to Norris’ misfortune, his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was able to secure an impressive second place. With Piastri having received team instructions this weekend to support his British teammate in his championship hopes, it’s a good start to the weekend for the Australian, who will be challenging for the lead at the first corner.

“On the lap I was on, I could have easily finished second. It’s frustrating but there’s nothing I can do,” he said via Crash.net.

He was also asked if he would be able to move up in tomorrow’s race.

“I mean, I guess I have to hope so. It is what it is, but it’s a long race ahead of us – we’ve got some good tyres in store. So yeah, I’ll try to push forward and see what we can do tomorrow.”

This Q1 exit is Norris’ first exit since the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix – something he really won’t want now that he has a winning car at his disposal. Furthermore, McLaren’s decision to back Norris ahead of Piastri in future races is now being scrutinised, especially after Piastri was able to outperform him under pressure, as demonstrated on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen, Norris’ biggest title rival, also had problems in qualifying and only finished sixth. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, third in the drivers’ standings and 24 points behind Norris, starts on pole. The Papaya driver is definitely under pressure.

On the next race day, Norris has to trust the performance of his car:

“I still hope we can get a good result,” said Norris. “The car is fast and… it’s frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Qualifying results for the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

(Zhou Guanyus’ 20 grid penalties not included)

1. Charles Leclerc
2. Oscar Piastri
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Sergio Perez
5. George Russell
6. Max Verstappen
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Franco Colapinto
10. Alex Albon
11. Oliver Bearman
12. Yuki Tsunoda
13. Pierre Gasly
14. Nico Hulkenberg
15. Lance Stroll
16. Daniel Ricciardo
17. Lando Norris
18. Valtteri Bottas
19. Zhou Guanyu
20. Esteban Ocon