Norris says he is doing a “shit job” in F1 qualifying sessions

The McLaren driver had looked on course to emerge as Max Verstappen‘s main challenger in the fight for pole position on Saturday, but a lurid slide through the hotel complex at the Yas Marina circuit ruined his chances.

Norris reckoned the moment had cost him four tenths, and meant that rather than lining up alongside Verstappen he now starts the F1 season finale from fifth as Charles Leclerc nabbed second on the grid.

Speaking after the session, Norris said that he only had himself to blame for letting a good opportunity once again slip through his fingers.

He made similarly critical comments in Qatar, when he lamented a track limits transgression that cost him a front-row start, and in Brazil where he felt “gutted” not to challenge Verstappen for the top spot amid the changeable conditions.

“If you just make any mistake in qualifying when you’re fighting for a good position, it’s frustrating,” he said.

“But the thing is, I just make so many mistakes on a Saturday at the minute. Every other lap was some of my best really.

“Q1 and Q2 were some of my best laps, and my first lap in Q3 was very strong. Just one little mistake.

“I don’t know why it happened. I’ve not done it all weekend. So yeah, frustrating because I’m just doing a shit job on Saturday.”

Asked if he was perhaps being too hard on himself, Norris said: “Not at all. I’m fighting for P2, and I end up P5 because of a stupid mistake. So, I’m too soft on myself.”

While Norris was unhappy with how his session went, team-mate Oscar Piastri produced his best laps of the weekend in qualifying to secure third place.

“It’s been a bit of a messy one,” he said about the weekend. “Pace has been there, just a lot of mistakes. And on the last lap, I made a little bit of a mistake as well.

“But it would have been quite a last corner to get to the front. So no, happy with that.

“The car is very quick this weekend. It’s a nice turnaround from Vegas for us. But I’m happy to be back in the top three.”