Lando Norris near speechless after disastrous Bahrain qualifying: ‘Just not quick enough’

The championship leader will start down the grid while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri took pole

Lando Norris qualified only sixth-fastest in Bahrain (Getty Images)

Lando Norris could not hide his disappointment after a disastrous qualifying on Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix

The championship leader will start Sunday’s race in sixth place, despite his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri starting on pole position.

Intriguingly, Norris will start a spot ahead of Max Verstappen – who is just one point behind him in the driver standings.

Yet for Norris, armed with the quickest car, it was a poor session and he admitted he simply wasn’t “quick enough” on a challenging evening in the Gulf.

“I didn’t even go a tenth quicker,” he told Sky F1 about his second run in Q3. “Not quick enough.”

Asked further what the issue was, Norris reacted by circling his head before saying: “Here.”

On the race on Sunday, Norris said: “It’s just another day. Look into things, see why I was struggling so much.

Asked finally how he can turn his form around, the British driver responded: “Nothing, go to sleep.”

Oscar Piastri qualified on pole in Bahrain (Getty Images)

George Russell qualified an impressive second for Mercedes while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third. Lewis Hamilton, however, starts down in P9.

Piastri, after claiming pole, said: “I’ve felt confident all weekend, really comfortable with the car.

“The others caught up more than what I wanted, but delivered the laps when it mattered.

“I’ve got to get into turn 1 in first, let’s see what happens. No better place to start than on pole, excited for the race tomorrow.”

The Bahrain Grand Prix starts at 4pm (BST) on Sunday.