Norris blames costly error for botched Shanghai SQ

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri entered Sprint Qualifying in Shanghai as favorites after the former’s dominant display in free practice, but both drivers fell short of the front row in Friday’s final shootout.

Lewis Hamilton snatched a sensational pole for Ferrari, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen alongside him, leaving Piastri in third and Norris a frustrated sixth.

The McLaren duo clearly struggled to extract the pace needed in SQ3, setting up a challenging Sprint race for themselves on Saturday.

Norris Takes the Blame

Reflecting on his two error-strewn runs in the session, Norris accepted full responsibility for his lackluster performance.

“I made a mistake. I locked up in the last corner,” he admitted. “But we're just struggling a bit more now. Just not quick enough, simply. Struggling a lot with the car.”

He emphasized that the issue was more about his approach than the car’s potential.

“It’s more on me rather than the car. I can't make the car perfect. But, no, this was me just trying to just push a bit too much,” he said.

“So [I] just need to back off a little bit and not try to push too much. I think the car's still good and in a good window, maybe not good enough for pole. But we can definitely go forward.”

The windy conditions in Shanghai exacerbated McLaren’s challenges, as Norris explained:

“Our difficulties that we've been struggling with showed a lot more today. So nothing more than that, honestly. Just too many mistakes, it is just too difficult of a car to drive.

“I think just throughout the day we've been struggling a bit with the front locking and struggling a lot in the last corner with all the tailwinds.

So it is kind of a lot more aligned with Bahrain [pre-season testing]. Just a lot windier when the wind's blowing, then we struggle a lot more.”

Comparing his and Piastri’s performances, he added, “So I think both myself and Oscar struggled more, clearly me more than him. So, yeah, just pushing a bit hard to try and make up for not quite being quick enough.”

Piastri Reflects on Strategy Misstep

Piastri, starting third, was closer to the pace but rued a tactical error in SQ3.

“I think we were probably quick at the wrong points of it, unfortunately,” he said.

“SQ1 and SQ2 felt good, and then SQ3, we tried something a bit different and went out much earlier and tried two laps, which I'm not sure was the best thing in the end, but I think it's something we need to have a look at.”

Despite the setback, the Aussie remained optimistic: “I think the pace in the car is still very strong and I'm still confident to fight from third.”

Piastri also noted the challenges posed by the resurfaced track.

“It has been difficult, I think, with the track surface, it's got a lot of grip, but it's very peaky and I think it's been pretty tough all day to just keep on top of the car,” he explained.

• Read also: Hamilton ‘gobsmacked’ by shock pole in Shanghai Sprint Qualifying

“I honestly think we did a good job of trying to tame it for sprint qualifying, just maybe got the run plan a bit wrong.

“So it's been an interesting challenge. The grip has been a lot better than last season, which is nice, and I think there's some things we can do better tomorrow.”

With Piastri in third and Norris in sixth, McLaren still has a shot at a strong Sprint result, but the front row remains elusive.

As they regroup, both drivers are determined to capitalize on the car’s potential and fight back in Saturday’s race.

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