Lando Norris entered the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix with a three -point advantage over his teammate Oscar Piestri in the pilot championship.
But a clash in the Q3 on Saturday put Norris on the back foot, and the McLaren driver left the tens line when the lights came out in the Jeddah Corniche circuit. Norris began with the hard tire, unlike the rest of the first ten that were in the middle complex, and leaned a lot, collecting multiple places in his elongated period. He inherited the leadership in the lap 30 after all the leaders made stops in boxes, but possible was formed with a fourth place, almost a second third -place ending Charles Leclerc.
It was another strong impulse of McLaren’s pilot recovery, but it was not enough to maintain his leadership in the pilot championship. With Piastri taking the victory ahead of Max Verstappen, Norris’s teammate now heads the table, with an advantage of ten points.
“That was difficult,” Norris admitted when he spoke with the official F1 channel. “This track is difficult, this temperature is hard and flat. There is no savings in the tires here, it is completely from beginning to end. I was fighting, not in terms of physics, but only in terms or advantage that Inuugug has wanted.
“I would have a pleasant bone to get Charles and have a small stage and drink all the champagne at this time because I would love that, or apple juice would be simply better. I dream of that at this time.
“But I think it was the best we could achieve today. Clearly, we are not head and shoulders above the rest.”
Norris then admitted that he was not only looking towards a break, since the grid has a week off before the Miami Grand Prix, but sometimes makes life difficult for himself.
“As Oscar showed, it is not an easy race. Max would probably have done it if he had the penalty had the penalty. We still have such problems. They are not easy races, which when I make mistakes like yesterday, as item itemic, that is, as I need it, I make my life quite difficult as today,” Norris added.
“I’m still happy. I am happy with my return. It’s the best I could achieve and now I’m looking forward to a break.”
As for where you need to improve, Norris pointed out on Saturday. As we saw on Saturday at the Grandbia Saudi Grand Prix, that extra risk within the car can lead to a disaster, especially on a track that punishes errors such as the Jeddah Corniche circuit.
“It is my quali, it is my Saturdays that are not good enough in the minute, my rhythm of a return. As I said before, it’s all, it is fighting a little with the self-esteement was not the car, it was just me. Back.” Norris continued.
“Clearly, I have the rhythm and everything is there. Sometimes I try to ask too much and sometimes I am too anxious for a little more and because to put the toy more perfect and I just need a little.”
Now Norris returns to Miami, where he assured his first victory of the Grand Prix a year ago. The circuit will look a bit different from what he did in 2024, since there will be a McLaren tribune, a section of fans sitting together to honor the team and that first -price victory.
Will that help “relax” a little to Norris? We will discover it in a few weeks.