"The worst title contender ever": Fans react to Lando Norris getting eliminated in Q1 in the 2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP

As per an astonishing development, Lando Norris failed to make it past Q1 at the ongoing Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying. On his final flying lap of the Q1, the McLaren driver lost control of his car, snapped, and went wide. As a result, he lost a chunk of time and was out of the session. This led to enormous reactions from fans on social media.

Norris' exit from F1 was the first for him this season and for McLaren as a whole. With this, he shot himself in the foot as he was in direct contention for the Driver's Championship against Max Verstappen, who qualified for Q1 in P1.

The McLaren driver could only manage P17 and finished the session behind Daniel Ricciardo in P16. Fernando Alonso was the last man to qualify for Q2 with 1:43.472. He was over a tenth faster than the 24-year-old driver.

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As Norris returned to the pit stop following his disqualification, fans on social media shared their reactions!

Following the disqualification, a fan wrote, "The worst title contender EVER."

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"Oh my world [Lando] Norris!" reacting to the outcome, another fan wrote.

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"THIS TEAM NEVER FAILS TO DISAPPOINT," another fan wrote.

"If you're fighting for the title, you just cannot do that," another fan wrote pointing at Norris' bleak championship hope.

"Almost goodbye championship now," a fan wrote, projecting a sad end to Norris' title hope.

"Championship is slipping away for him!" another fan wrote.

Besides Ricciardo and Norris, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Esteban Ocon were also out of Q1. Charles Leclerc topped the Q1 with 1:43.775, followed by Alex Albon and Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri.

How does the championship look for Lando Norris from here on?

17th placed qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren looks on - Source: Getty Images

Prior to the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lando Norris had 241 points under his belt. This was 62 points less than the defending champion and championship favorite Max Verstappen (303 points).

With eight more races to go, including the Baku City Circuit race, Norris needed to topple Verstappen by eight points per race to have a safe score, including three Sprint race victories and as many fastest lap points as possible.

However, the latest debacle from the British driver ruined most of his chances. It will be interesting to see how Verstappen capitalizes on Norris' drawback and extends his title lead.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen's dominant journey on the track.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam