Norris: Just a couple of mistakes again

Just six days after his emphatic win in Australia, many expected Norris to carry that momentum into this weekend. Instead, he’s gone missing. While Oscar Piastri stuck it on pole and showed exactly what the McLaren is capable of, Norris floundered.

He never looked comfortable around the complex Shanghai International Circuit—at least not compared to his teammate. And that’s the problem.

Speaking after Qualifying in China, Norris said in Parc Ferme "Always disappointed if I'm not on pole but Oscar deserves it today. He's done a very good job all weekend. Happy for him and his first pole in F1. Just a couple of mistakes again, kind of been my case this weekend but the car has been feeling better today.

"A much better direction we are going in, especially yesterday when I struggled a lot and even this morning, so not too disappointed. We changed quite a lot on the car [after the Sprint] because we were nowhere, so let's see."

Later speaking to TV reporters, Norris added: "We definitely made some improvements compared to yesterday and earlier. It's difficult to know how much better we will be tomorrow. We think we moved things in the right direction and I felt more comfortable out there.

"I was delivering almost every lap I did bar the last one. We are in a better position, I'm more comfortable. Just made a couple of mistakes on my last lap and didn't put it together and Oscar did, so congrats to him.

"The car is good, it's quick, not easy but that's the price you pay sometimes. As long as we keep things clean and don't squabble too hard, we can have a good race. We saw how tricky it was in the Sprint to look after the front tyres, knowing when to push, how much to push. A lot of question marks that we won't know until we start driving tomorrow.

"Tyre management here is not like normal tyre management. It's graining, not temperature. It's different to Australia where it was just about managing the inters and the temperatures. This is how much you can save the front tyres.

"Mercedes have been strong here in the past. Las Vegas for instance they looked after the front tyres very well, so this is one of their strengths and probably why they were quick today. I just need to focus on myself and go out and do a good job," explained Norris

In racing or any sport for that matter, a choker is someone who has everything lined up for success and bottles it when it matters most. By his own admission, Norris made mistakes in qualifying. That’s two poor sessions in a row this weekend.

And when you consider how strong the McLaren is - especially with Piastri proving its potential with P2 in the Sprint and P1 in Quali - it’s clear Norris is under-delivering. He should be upfront. Instead, he’s got work to do on Sunday to clean up his act.

If Norris can avoid the kind of incidents that wrecked his Sprint, he still has the car to fight through the field for a McLaren 0ne-two which is overdue. But the pressure is only mounting and the 'Choker' moniker won't away until he is error-free.