Ex-F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has accused Lando Norris of “second-guessing himself” following a scrappy Bahrain Grand Prix.
Bahrain was tough for Norris as McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri gained the race.
Norris might solely qualify sixth on the grid in Bahrain after making a mistake at Flip 1 on his closing lap in Q3.
He was then hit with a five-second time penalty for misjudging his place on the beginning grid.
This successfully value him second place to George Russell after Norris struggled to overhaul Charles Leclerc late on.
Norris’ race craft was additionally disappointing, spending over a dozen laps caught behind Leclerc, who struggled on the exhausting tyres.
Assessing Norris’ efficiency in Bahrain, Palmer was puzzled by the variety of errors the McLaren driver made.
“When it’s connected, he’s nonetheless acquired the tempo,” Palmer mentioned on the official F1 web site.
“However he has to discover a technique to stability his pure attacking type with a automotive that’s extra on a knife-edge.
“If he qualifies on the entrance, then we all know he can absorb the strain as he’s performed for his previous two wins – in Abu Dhabi final 12 months with the groups’ championship on the road and in Melbourne this 12 months.
“From additional again in Bahrain, although, it appeared like he was second-guessing himself loads and it culminated in a messy night for him and a possible three factors misplaced as he didn’t get well to make it a McLaren 1-2. Even the way in which Lando lined up on the grid was unusual.
“Lando initially lined up acceptably however twice launched the clutch to trickle ahead. The primary motion ahead in all probability put him within the excellent place to start out the race. However as he sought to shuffle up much more, he should have misplaced his reference and easily overshot his marks.”
Regardless of a scrappy race, Norris stays on the high of the F1 drivers’ standings after 4 rounds.
Norris is three factors forward of Piastri going into Saudi Arabia.
Nevertheless, Piastri beat Norris within the earlier two races in Jeddah.
Norris should up his recreation this weekend to retain the championship lead.
One difficulty he’s continued to face all through 2025 is how tough the MCL39 is to drive in comparison with its predecessor.
