Lando Norris rued his “first big mistake” in qualifying this year after finishing 15th on Saturday at the Sakhir Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver had looked more competitive in final practice claiming fifth, this after mechanical issues left him trailing on Friday.
But a disappointing Q2 meant Norris didn’t manage a clean lap and now has him with a mountain climb in the race.
“It needed to be a weekend where I don’t make many mistakes and I made one,” said the Briton post-session.
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“We went out at the wrong time. To make up for that, I had to do a very slow out-lap which ended up being too slow and the tyres falling out of the window.
“It was just a messy run which is a little bit on my behalf and a little bit as a team. The second lap was still on me and I didn’t do a good enough job then, so I’m a bit frustrated, annoyed with myself.
“It is the first big mistake I have made all year in qualifying. Still not happy about that but it happens sometimes.”
Perhaps on a plus side for Norris, teammate Carlos Sainz has gone from P15 to P5 in the past two races.
However, the Spaniard, who will start eighth, is worried the compact grid will make overtaking difficult despite the three long straights.
“There are a lot of laps,” he noted, with 87 to come on Sunday. “It is still not an easy track to overtake on, not as obvious as it looks from the outside, and people are split by hundredths of a second.
“You can’t overtake, you need tenths or a second’s worth. It won’t be easy but a lot of chances tomorrow.”
