Lando Norris didn’t hold back in admitting his struggles during qualifying in Bahrain.
The McLaren driver was only able to secure the sixth-fastest time, falling short of expectations.
His teammate, Oscar Piastri, stole the show, taking pole position in what seemed to be the quickest car on the grid.
George Russell’s Impressive Performance, Yet Disqualification
Mercedes’ George Russell had an outstanding qualifying session, initially securing second place.
However, a small mistake saw him demoted to third after he inadvertently entered the pit lane too early, which meant that Charles Leclerc from Ferrari moved up a position.
The Rest of the Grid: Surprises and Setbacks
Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, claimed fourth place, while Pierre Gasly, representing Alpine, rounded off the top five.
Norris’ performance wasn’t the only shock of the day, with the qualifying session revealing a few surprises on the grid.
Norris Opens Up About His Struggles
Norris, who currently holds a slim one-point lead over Max Verstappen in the championship standings, was clearly frustrated with his lackluster performance.
Reflecting on the weekend so far, he admitted, “I’ve been off every lap this weekend. Don’t know why; just clueless on track at the minute. I need a big reset.”
His words spoke to the challenges he was facing in finding his rhythm.
Verstappen’s Rare Struggles in Qualifying
Max Verstappen, who has been dominant in recent seasons, also found himself out of sorts during the session.
The Red Bull driver, usually a top contender, could only manage seventh place on the grid.
He expressed frustration over the issues with his car, saying, “There’s something really wrong with my car. My brakes are terrible. I can’t brake.”
With the four-time world champion in such trouble, it remains to be seen what’s next for the defending champion as he aims to bounce back.