Untelevised Lando Norris team radio emerges after big Qatar GP setback
Lando Norris will start P2 after missing out on a chance for a final flying run.
Lando Norris sounded despondent over the team radio after a moment of understeer resulted in him failing to set a final flying lap.
After Oscar Piastri had won from pole in the sprint, Norris was hoping for a fightback in qualifying for the main race but instead was unable to have one last go at the quickest lap.
Lando Norris rues crucial Qatar GP quali mistake
A snap of understeer into Turn 2 left Norris with a ruined lap and not enough time and fuel to start another, resulting in him watching his provisional pole be demoted to second as Piastri went quicker.
After, a despondent Norris was heard on the team radio asking “First, second, third, where am I?” to which his race engineer Will Joseph replied “don’t know yet.” Norris replied with a solitary “alright.”
Later in the press conference and out of the heat of the cockpit, Norris explained that a brief bit of understeer caught him off guard and compromised his lap.
“I felt like I did a good first lap. I felt like there were plenty of places I thought I could go quicker,” he said.
“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.
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“So, frustrating because I certainly think I could have done a better job and improved on my lap a good amount but I didn’t.”
It is still advantage Norris in the title race but given the difficulty of overtaking at this circuit, him getting the points he needs to win the world title looks unlikely.
Norris said only on the approach to Turn 1 would he have an overtaking opportunity to try and get past team-mate Piastri.
“Long run down to Turn 1 is a good opportunity for anyone to gain or lose positions,” he said. “Apart from that, I think it’s going to be a pretty boring and straightforward race.”
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