Qatar Grand Prix: Norris Says He Let Mclaren Down After Costly Penalty

Lando Norris said that he "let down" McLaren after a 10-second stop-and-go penalty saw him finish in 10th place at the Qatar Grand Prix. (More Motorsport News)

The British driver was in a fight with newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen for the race lead before the penalty, for ignoring double-waved yellow flags, dropped him to the back of the field. 

Norris recovered places in the last laps to finish just inside the top 10, but the result meant that McLaren's bid to win the Constructors' Championship will now go down to the wire in the final race of 2024 in Abu Dhabi this weekend. 

바카라�Honestly, I don바카라�t know what I바카라�ve done wrong at the minute. Apparently, I didn바카라�t slow under the yellow. I바카라�m not an idiot 바카라� if I knew there was a yellow I would have slowed down," Norris told Sky Sports after the race. 

바카라�I don바카라�t know if I바카라�ve missed it or just been dumb. But, yeah, the rule is if you don바카라�t slow down under a yellow, that바카라�s the penalty, so it바카라�s a fair penalty.바카라�

While Verstappen took the top step on the podium, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished second, with Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri in third. Ferrari, in a two-way fight with McLaren for the title, also had Carlos Sainz finishing in sixth place. 

It meant that McLaren will head to Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead over Ferrari as they set their sights on a first constructors바카라� title since 1998.

바카라�The team gave me a great car, so I바카라�m thankful to the team,바카라� 25-year-old Norris said. 

바카라�Disappointed that I couldn바카라�t have done a worse job than I did and not give them the points they deserve, so I바카라�ve made the job of the team much harder than it needs to be. The team are doing a great job but I바카라�ve let them down.바카라�

Norris, who had challenged Verstappen (429 points) for the world championship before the Dutchman secured the title in Las Vegas, now has 349 points in his bag - only eight more than Leclerc in third, with the duo set to battle for the individual and team honours in the season finale.