Lando Norris faces scathing criticism from former F1 champion as his qualifying falls apart once again
Lando Norris has been criticized by Jacques Villeneuve for collapsing when the pressure rises, as the McLaren driver's qualifying just fell away on his final push lap. The F1 Imola GP qualifying was as intense as has been the case quite a few times this season.
It all came down to the last flying lap, and the driver who would nail it would secure pole position. This time around it was Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri who just leveled up and secured pole position, while the Brit's last lap was just poor and saw him even fall behind George Russell.
The 2025 F1 season has not gotten off to the best of starts for Norris. He's struggled to get on top of the car and has not been completely comfortable with it. At the same time, he's struggled to perform under pressure and hence made too many mistakes.
This is exactly what has seen Lando Norris fall behind Oscar Piastri in the championship and continue to struggle to keep up. It was more of the same at the F1 Imola GP Qualifying because throughout the session, both McLaren drivers had been neck and neck in terms of performance, and it was only in the end that the Australian pulled away.
In what was another capitulation by the British driver, Jacques Villeneuve didn't hold back in his criticism as he pointed out how Norris once again just fell off when things got intense. The 1997 F1 champion told Sky Sports:
"Piastri good and he seems to perform under pressure. Take last year - Lando was the qualifier of the team. And now Lando collapses every time there's a little bit of pressure, and Piastri seems to make a step."
He added:
"If you look at his lap, it was aggressive. He was pushing it. Even at the end with the traffic, it was visually disturbing him, and he didn't miss the apex and still managed to get pole."
Lando Norris laments lack of pace
Lando Norris was left annoyed with his lack of pace in Q3 as he felt that he just wasn't quick enough. The driver has been struggling in Q3s often this season, and he once again pointed to not being comfortable in the car as one of the reasons for his position. He said (via Sky Sports):
"I guess I probably just wasn’t quick enough. None of my performances in Q3 have been strong enough this year, so same thing. Same as every weekend. I need to try to make up positions and go forward. It’s not easy because it’s not an easy track to overtake on, but it is what it is. It’s just the same story. Not good enough in qualy, and try to have a fun race tomorrow."
Lando Norris will be starting the race on the second row in P4. He will be hoping to put together a better start and then maybe make up a few places early and mount a challenge for the win.