“I made a lot of mistakes”: Lando Norris blames himself for not being ‘good enough’ in Q3 at 2025 F1 Imola GP
Lando Norris left the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix qualifying disappointed, admitting that his Q3 performance just wasn't 'good enough.' The McLaren No. 4 driver, who arrived at Imola as a strong contender in the championship fight, faltered when it mattered most in Q3 on Saturday, giving a crucial advantage to his rivals.
The 25-year-old entered the weekend in fine form, riding high on momentum after a Sprint win and runner-up finish in the Miami GP. However, despite McLaren providing him with a race-winning package, Norris has somehow failed to capitalize on it, especially in qualifying this season.
McLaren looked quick from the start in Italy, with both Norris and Oscar Piastri showing promising pace in practice. But when it came to crunch time in qualifying, Norris admitted he cracked under pressure (via Motorsports):
"I made a lot of mistakes. Never good enough in my final lap in quali(fication). Everyone goes quicker and I always go slower. Just not good enough."
The 2025 Emilia-Romagna GP qualifying session saw Piastri take his third pole of the season, 0.034 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. In a session that saw multiple red flags, risky tire calls, and some surprise exits, George Russell impressed with an unconventional run on mediums to secure P3.
But it was another session of mixed fortunes for Lando Norris. After showing the fastest pace in practice, he looked a likely candidate for a front-row start but couldn't quite stitch it together in Q3. His best effort of 1:14.962 was only good enough for P4, behind Russell and under three-tenths adrift of teammate Piastri's pole time.
Norris found himself struggling for consistency in the final runs, as the McLaren #4 racer explained to the reporters (via F1):
"It was good until the final two laps. Not quick enough, that's all. No idea, the lap time just doesn't come... I don't think our pace is that much better. I mean it's definitely going to be better I assume than others but I'm here to win and I know I haven't got much of a chance of winning."
Despite the downbeat assessment, Norris remains focused on damage limitation and pointed out that his team's long-run pace might yet give him a fighting chance on Sunday. He concluded that he'll regroup with the team overnight, analyze the data, and work towards creating overtaking opportunities in the race.
Imola has been a strong track for Norris, with podium finishes in three of his last four appearances, including a P2 result behind Max Verstappen last year.
Lando Norris' Imola struggles mirror his 2025 qualifying woes
Lando Norris's qualifying struggles at Imola weren't an isolated issue, they've become a pattern throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season. While McLaren has produced one of the most competitive cars on the grid this year, the British driver has often failed to convert that into pole positions.
Through the early part of the season, Norris has repeatedly found himself in a similar position: competitive in Q1 and Q2, only to fall short during the final run. Speaking to F1 about his qualifying struggles, Norris said:
"Same answer as every weekend, I think it's a regular thing. I feel better until I get to it Q3, I obviously just need to work on it a lot, it's just not good enough."
However, Norris' race-day resilience has kept him in the title hunt. On a couple of occasions this year in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Norris started outside the top five. However, he made a comeback on Sunday with a podium finish in Bahrain and P4 in Saudi Arabia. This ability to recover, backed by McLaren's race-day strength gives him a realistic shot to fight back at Imola as well.