Disaster for Lando Norris: after crashing out and finishing 10th in qualifying, the British driver may now be handed a grid penalty as well.
Disappointed, frustrated, and downcast — Lando Norris’s expression told the whole story. Far from the smile his usual personality brings, the Brit saw his incident in qualifying potentially cost him not just a better grid spot, but also the championship lead.
Norris’ Words
Speaking to Sky Sports after the session, Norris said: “I’m okay, no physical issues. Last time I said we needed to reset and start fresh. This time it’s different. I went to speak with my engineers, apologized. We tried to put together a good strategy, and we’ll try again tomorrow.
We’ll need a bit of luck, because it’ll be tough. I’m not expecting miracles — this track is tricky, and even finishing the race isn’t guaranteed. We still have a good car. If we can fight back and finish in the top 5 or 6, we’ll be happy with that.
Oscar isn’t on pole either, so clearly our pace isn’t way ahead of Max’s. George is close too, so catching them won’t be realistic. But top 5-6 is still our target.”
From Bad to Worse? Penalty Risk for Norris
Adding insult to injury, Norris now faces a potential 5-place grid penalty. Due to the nature of the crash and suspected damage to the gearbox, McLaren has already inspected the component — though no official decision has been made yet.
If a replacement is required, car #4 will drop from P10 to P15 on the grid, making tomorrow’s comeback even harder.
Photo: McLaren
