Lando Norris said he “let the team down” after his crash cost him a shot at pole but again insisted the McLaren car was not streets ahead of the competition.
The Briton crashed in sector one during his first flying lap of Q1 and was forced to watch on while title rival Max Verstappen took pole in Jeddah.
Lando Norris says ‘silly risk’ caused Saudi quali crash
Norris, along with team-mate Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and George Russell, was thought to be a lead contender for P1 but he has to now settle for P10 having failed to set a Q3 time.
Having visited the medical centre, Norris arrived in the mixed zone where he said he “let the team down” for a “silly mistake.”
“Just a mistake,” he told media including PlanetF1.com. “I was pretty comfortable, was pretty happy until then. The car was strong, so disappointed.
“Obviously, I made my life and everyone on the team’s a lot trickier for tomorrow and a lot harder, because the guys have got a big job tonight to try and fix everything.
“But that’s life. This happens on a rare occasion. Got to look at the bright side and hope that we can have a good race tomorrow.
“I should be fighting for pole, and especially on a Q1 lap, I shouldn’t be taking any silly risks like I seem to have done.
“But it’s not a guarantee we would have been on pole because Max looks like he did a good job. Red Bull, they were quick the whole of qualifying so it wasn’t a surprise.
More reaction from quali in Jeddah
‘Pretty similar to before’ – Charles Leclerc issues worrying Ferrari upgrade verdict
Max Verstappen reacts after stunning pole lap in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying
“I’m not going to be proud. I’m not going to be happy. I’ve let myself down and let the team down, and the guys have got a big job to do now to fix it all.”
Norris, though, did insist that the McLaren is not the all-conquering car that many claim, something he has repeatedly stated already this season.
“We have a strong car, clearly not as good as what we would like, because we’re not on pole, and Max is first, and George is only a couple tenths behind. So it’s not like things are plain sailing at the minute.”
Read next: Lewis Hamilton’s worrying one-word team radio response catches Brundle’s eye
