“I F’d it all up”: Distraught Lando Norris Apologises For Imola Debacle after Violating F1 Track Limits

Norris’ mistake had cost his team a second row start on Sunday

When the qualifying round had begun on Saturday, Lando Norris couldn’t have augured for a more sensational start. Persistently matching the times set by his adversaries, Norris at one point of time found himself challenging for a first row start come Sunday’s race.

Lapping just slower than Lewis Hamilton in Q3 after his final run, Norris looked set for a strong finish in the rankings. However, it soon emerged that Norris had violated the track-limits rule at Turn 9 where the whole of his car had crossed the white line.

Norris Beleaguered With Mistake

Me right now. I misjudged it and the time was deleted. Sorry to everyone at @McLarenF1, I effed up, you deserved better today. pic.twitter.com/SDQhY84cmR

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) April 17, 2021

It subsequently lead to his time being deleted, leaving Norris to start round two in P7. And Norris was crestfallen at his mistake as he admitted he had massively screwed up.

“Pretty disappointed, pretty annoyed with myself. I think it was a very good day until then,” Norris said.

“I think the team did an awesome job. The car really came alive in quali, we made a lot of improvements on Friday. But that one lap that I don’t need to make a mistake on, I F’d it all up.

“The thing people don’t realise is it’s the same for everyone. At the end of the day, it’s my mistake and I’ve messed it up.

“From the outside, it looks a lot easier to stay within the lines than what it is inside. When you’re in Q3 and you have an opportunity to be P2, P3 or score your best result in qualifying, you’re pushing and when you’re going at such a speed in such a high-speed corner, misjudging by about this amount”

“I’m really happy, not with the job I’ve done but with the team,” he added. “We didn’t start the weekend off well at all, we really struggled in the beginning.

“But we made a lot of improvements and kind of understood a bit more about how the car works and how it comes alive and a better operating window, which is one of the things we had to learn from Bahrain where we struggled.

“We had to change it this weekend and we’ve done a better job – just I didn’t.”