Lando Norris: I let the team down

In Qatar, McLaren was able to guarantee itself victory in the Constructors’ Championship, but at the end of the race Ferrari’s lead was reduced to 21 points. The team’s best result was third place for Oscar Piastri, and his teammate Lando Norris, who fought for the win for most of the distance, was given a 10-second Stop&Go penalty for not slowing down enough under yellow flags. After the finish, Norris admitted the foul and said he had let the team down.

Oscar Piastri (3rd): “Difficult race. The competitors at the front were going at the same pace, so it was very difficult to get close and get DRS. But I was also far enough into the DRS zone to carry out the attack.

I’ve had some interesting battles with Charles Leclerc. It’s great to be on the podium, but this is not the result we expected.

I’m not sure why Lando got the fine, but it was clearly too high. An exciting season finale awaits us. I hope we perform strongly. We will do everything we can to achieve the result we strive for.”

Lando Norris (10th): “To be honest, I don’t know what I did wrong. Apparently I didn’t slow down under the yellow flags. I’m not an idiot, and if I had known there were yellow flags I would have gone slower.

I don’t know – I didn’t see them, or I did something stupid, but the rules say that if you don’t slow down under yellow flags, you get a fine. The fine is therefore justified.

Clearly there were missed opportunities today. The team gave me a fast car and I am grateful for that. I’m disappointed that I didn’t do well and didn’t bring the team the points it deserved. I made it difficult for the team. They did a great job and I let them down.”