Lando Norris is clinging onto the lead of the F1 drivers’ championship. Norris retains a three-point advantage despite a frustrating Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
The McLaren driver qualified down in sixth while teammate Oscar Piastri took a comfortable pole position. He then earned a five-second penalty for a breach of starting grid rules.
Norris wound up battling the two Ferraris and the Mercedes of George Russell and ultimately finished third. He started the season with pole and a race win in Australia but Piastri has looked the more comfortable driver since.
The 25-year-old’s racecraft was questionable as he tried in vain to fight his way back to P2. He spent 16 laps behind Leclerc and finished within a second of Russell at the flag after an ill-judged attempt to pass around the outside at turn one.
Gary Anderson can’t fathom how Lando Norris made start error at Bahrain Grand Prix
Writing in his post-race column for The Telegraph, former Jordan designer Gary Anderson castigated Norris for his blunder at the start. Max Verstappen, who was lining up one place behind, spotted that he’d edged too far forward.
Anderson feels that a driver of Norris’ experience shouldn’t be making this kind of mistake. This was his 132nd race start, which ranks him just outside the all-time top 50.
The Northern Irishman suggests that the McLaren star may have tried to be too ‘clever’ and paid the price. He likely cost himself three points with the mistake.
“The first mistake came with a five-second time penalty for being out of position on the starting grid, ahead of his box. In that he crept forwards before the start and then tried to move back.
“It was a strange error and I have no idea how he made it. He has done enough real starts and even more practice starts to not make errors like this.
“These cars are two-pedal cars, accelerator on the right, brake on the left, so it’s easy enough to keep your foot lightly on the brake and keep the car stationary.
“If he was trying to find the clutch bite-point and released the brake pedal at the same time and suddenly the bite point was sharper than he thought, the car could have moved forward. With his experience he should have that covered.
“You cannot win a race by being clever on the grid – if that is even what he was trying to do – but you can lose one like that. And that is ultimately what cost him second place and three valuable world championship points.
“Without the penalty he would have surely finished in second place, not third, possibly avoiding getting embroiled in so many on-track battles.”
Lando Norris sounded like Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain GP – but was that a good thing?
Jacques Villeneuve fears Norris is ‘cracking under pressure’ after what he saw at the Bahrain Grand Prix. For the first time in his F1 career, he’s started the season with what is clearly the best car on the grid.
Norris was always the underdog in 2024 as he tried to reel in Verstappen’s big lead, but he entered this year as the favourite. Perspective is important – he’s still scored more points than any other driver – but his demeanour last weekend was worrying.
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After qualifying, Norris sounded like Lewis Hamilton as he gave a self-critical interview and took full responsibility for his failings. In a sense, that’s admirable, but he’s certainly lacking the confidence that characterises a world champion.
Indeed, Martin Brundle says Norris is feeding his rivals with harsh verdicts on his own performances. Verstappen is still only eight points back but he may not have the car to compete.
