The mistake that cost Lando Norris pole in Sprint Qualifying at Shanghai circuit – VIDEO. Lando Norris threw away a great opportunity in China's Sprint Qualifying.

Lando Norris, a costly mistake
The headlines of the day belong to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who secured the front row for the Shanghai Sprint with two great laps, delivering their best sectors at the crucial moment—just as great champions do.

On the other side of the story is Lando Norris, who tends to falter when it matters most. This morning’s Sprint Qualifying reignited the warning light that has too often (especially in 2024) held back the British driver. The championship leader paid the price for a mistake at the Turn 14 braking zone and will have to start from sixth tomorrow. He has the car to recover, even in a short race, but his Sprint has certainly become an uphill battle.

The video
F1 published a video of Lando Norris’ mistake on his final SQ3 attempt.

Beyond the error in his last run, Lando Norris potentially left 343 milliseconds on the table (the difference between his fastest lap and the sum of his best sector times). Incredibly, his SQ3 lap on soft tires was worse than his SQ2 lap on medium tires. The responsibility is shared with the team, which opted to send both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri out for a double run on the same set of tires.

He was favourite for #F1Sprint pole but a mistake at Turn 14 cost Lando 😔#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/WZa3bFgysd

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 21, 2025