Lando Norris crashes out of Saudi Arabian GP qualifying, hampering title fight

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Championship leader Lando Norris endured a disappointing setback in his title campaign after crashing out of the final session of qualifying (Q3) for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver lost control of the rear of his car heading through Turn 4 and collided with the barriers on the outside of the high-speed Turn 5—a 150 mph corner.

The costly mistake meant Norris failed to set a time in Q3 and will start Sunday's race from tenth on the grid. The Briton had been on a flying lap following a dominant performance in Q2, where he outpaced title challengers Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. Verstappen ultimately secured pole position, narrowly edging out Piastri, who will line up second.

Over team radio immediately after the crash, Norris expressed his frustration, saying, "F------ idiot," before confirming that he was unharmed in the incident.

Asked later if his heated comment described his feelings about the crash, Norris admitted:

"It makes sense, I agree with it. I should be fighting for pole, and on [my first] Q3 lap I shouldn't be taking any silly risks like I seemed to have done.

"I'll go and review it all like I said. Not a guarantee we would have been on pole as Max did a good job—Red Bull was quick the whole qualifying. It wasn't a surprise, so yeah, it would have been nice to be in that fight. I was doing well until then and feeling comfortable, but...I shunted, you know? I'm not going to be proud or happy. I let myself and the team down, and the guys now have a big job to fix it all. Still, I'm looking forward to tomorrow," Norris concluded.

The crash marks another blow to Norris' championship lead, which has grown precarious following teammate Piastri’s recent surge. Last weekend in Bahrain, Piastri claimed victory, reducing Norris' championship lead to just three points. In the past four races, the Australian has outscored Norris by 20 points, with the Briton also losing valuable ground earlier in the season due to a costly mistake at the Australian Grand Prix.

Heading into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Norris admitted he had attempted to "reset" after a challenging race in Bahrain, where he qualified sixth and ultimately finished third. Despite this newest setback, Norris appeared slightly more upbeat following the crash compared to the disappointment of previous weekends.

"No, I'm happier," Norris said when asked if he felt the same frustration as in Bahrain. "[This track] is a very different layout. It's a lot grippier—the grip is incredible—so I'm happier. We have tried to work on a few things, worked a lot on my driving, which has got nothing to do with [this incident]. It was a separate mistake. The team is doing a good job to try and understand these things."

As Norris looks to recover from the crash and regroup ahead of the race, his championship remains at risk. Meanwhile, Piastri and Verstappen are primed to capitalize on their strong qualifying performances, setting up what promises to be an intense race in Jeddah.

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