Norris blames "brain fade" for "awful" Q3 lap
McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris says "brain fade" on his final run in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying resulted in an "awful" lap that left him 10th on the grid.
Norris had been seventh after the opening runs in the final stage of qualifying at the Marina Bay track – and had finished sixth in both Q1 and Q2 – before he was shuffled down the order by Renault pair Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg.
The 19-year-old said that a compromised warm-up lap ahead of his final run cost him confidence and he then went on to make a mistake at the Turn 13 hairpin.
"It was a good feeling I had – Q1 went well, Q2 went very well, I did a really nice lap," Norris told Sky F1. "I was happy, confident – we didn't change anything in the car, really.
"[But] I went out for my final run and I didn't quite get the warm-up I wanted to do with these tyres and I was maybe a bit close to the car ahead.
"I just didn't have the confidence because of these two factors to push and be on the limit as much as I was in Q2.
"Then I had some brain fade in the middle [sector] – wrong gears and so on. So it just went very wrong and I lost time trying to make up for it – because I'm an idiot. And I just lost out even more.
"It was going very well – I think I can be happy with Q1 and Q2. But the one that counts I'm not very happy with. It was just silly mistakes, basically.
"Until halfway around the lap I was pretty even with my Q2 lap and then I made one mistake – quite a big mistake, which I've probably never made ever before."
When asked what he had done wrong, Norris explained that he "just did the wrong gear in the hairpin".
"Just didn't downshift as many gears as I should have done," he continued. "So I lost the rear and had a bad exit [and] wheelspin.
"I just tried to make up for it, [but] I had a bit too much temperature in the rears and then it was just a spiralling effect all the way to the end.
"As much as it was an awful lap – my lap in Q2 was nice [and] the confidence is there to know that I can do it.
"So I'm very happy with that, but I just didn't do it when I wanted to do it."
Share Or Save This Story
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
Lando Norris frustrated by engine issue that cost him in Sepang qualifying
Lando Norris rues online abuse, explains Franco Colapinto apology
F1 doesn't need to change its VSC rules despite Lando Norris' Spain loss
Alex Brundle questions McLaren F1 upgrade after Azerbaijan GP disappointment
McLaren Racing and Edward Jones join forces in multi-year F1 and IndyCar partnership
Why Mercedes is still quicker than McLaren
What's actually going on with George Russell's FIA cooling vest complaints
Andrea Stella explains recurring Lando Norris straightline speed issue after Bahrain GP qualifying
MotoGP Japanese GP: Full starting grid
Lewis Hamilton labels Sepang qualifying as "best lap" of his 2026 F1 season
How drivers waiting in the wings can still make their presence count in F1
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia
The hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026
As Mercedes looks to deal F1 2026 knockout blow, will its driver fight reignite?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments