Lando Norris will be disappointed with his qualifying place for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, after only managing a lap that put him on the second row of the grid behind George Russell.
Norris set the fourth fastest time after being impacted on his final run by Liam Lawson, who ran off track in front of him on his timed effort.
The McLaren driver was three tenths off teammate Oscar Piastri, who starts from pole ahead of title rival Max Verstappen, having set a lap that was just 0.034s faster.
It marks the third time in the last four Grands Prix that Norris has failed to qualify in the top three positions, while Piastri has managed to achieve his fourth pole of the year.
Discussing his performance after qualifying, former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve had identified where Norris ‘collapses’ while under pressure when speaking on Sky Sports.
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Jacques Villeneuve thinks Lando Norris cracks too easily when under pressure
Norris has made mistakes which have cost him crucial ground to Verstappen in last year’s title battle, and this year was meant to be a reset for the Briton.
But with only one win under his belt at Melbourne, he has now dropped behind Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship and faces an even bigger deficit if he struggles to make progress in the race at a track he has previously excelled at.
Villeneuve believes Norris puts too much pressure on himself when it matters, leading to him cracking too easily when under pressure.
“He’s shown all season that he has the pace and slightly has the edge over his teammate Piastri, but when it’s money time, he collapses. He puts himself under too much pressure and it doesn’t work out,” said Villeneuve.
“He loses this natural flow and when you lose the natural flow in driving, you lose a tenth here, a tenth there, you put yourself under pressure and you start making mistakes.”
Oscar Piastri could match Ayrton Senna McLaren record
Piastri could become only the second McLaren driver since Ayrton Senna in 1991 to win back-to-back Grands Prix four times if he converts pole into a win.
He won from pole in Bahrain, second on the grid in Saudi Arabia after a battle with Verstappen, and from fourth on the grid in Miami.
Senna won races in the US, Brazil, the San Marino Grand Prix and Monaco in 1991 on the way to securing his third and final world title.
McLaren has dominated the timesheets in Imola all weekend, with Verstappen also believing that the team has the better package in the race.
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