Lando Norris just showed commendable Lewis Hamilton attitude amid Bahrain Grand Prix misery

Lando Norris delivered a highly uncharacteristic performance in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Norris ended up sixth on the grid while McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri bagged pole.

Heading into qualifying, it looked like a straight fight between the McLaren drivers. They had showcased an ominous advantage over the field in practice, almost reminiscent of Mercedes in the 2010s or the Red Bull of recent years.

It’s worth noting that the Woking outfit played down their advantage and predicted that rivals would bounce back. Sure enough, Mercedes driver George Russell – so often the star of qualifying this year – was able to get within a couple of tenths.

Piastri still reigned supreme as he notched his second pole of the season, but Norris failed to improve with a dismal final lap. Replays showed a mistake at turn one, but that alone didn’t explain the four-tenth deficit.

Norris had a chance to inflict a title blow on Max Verstappen, who was only seventh for Red Bull. But now it’s advantage Piastri as last year’s top two line up together.

Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton refuse to make excuses amid Bahrain Grand Prix woes

Norris’ post-qualifying interview with Sky Sports was only around 40 seconds long. Rachel Brookes quickly recognised that the Englishman wasn’t willing to go into any real detail.

Still, the 25-year-old deserves credit for taking full responsibility. Asked ‘where and why’ he’d lost time, he simply pointed at himself and said ‘here’.

Norris added that he had ‘no idea’ what happened and admitted that he was ‘just not quick enough’ in Sakhir. He had no interest in making excuses, and McLaren will appreciate that – even if they won’t want him to be overly self-critical.

There was a clear similarity with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion. Hamilton was an equally dispiriting ninth and also owned up to his failings in a brief exchange with Brookes.

“There’s no reasons, it’s just I’m not doing the job,” he said. “It happens every Saturday, yes.”

Lewis Hamilton’s radio message after qualifying was hard to hear

Hamilton was even further behind his teammate than Norris, trailing Leclerc by just under six-tenths. While Norris’ evening can likely be dismissed as an aberration, the 40-year-old’s qualifying misery dates back to 2024.

In 2011 remarks that resurfaced this weekend, Fernando Alonso was highly complimentary of Hamilton. He described him as the only driver who could win with a car that wasn’t the best on the grid.

But right now, Leclerc looks far more likely to take Ferrari’s first Grand Prix victory of the season. The Monegasque has spoken of a breakthrough with his driving style.

Immediately after Q3, Hamilton was deeply apologetic to Ferrari over the radio. It was a hard message to hear, with the sport’s most successful driver simply sounding defeated.