Norris concedes his Qualifying performance 'just not good enough' as McLaren driver dismisses Imola victory chances

Lando Norris has admitted that his qualifying performance in Imola was "just not good enough", as the McLaren driver will start fourth for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

While Norris secured a second-row start, his teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri claimed his third pole position of the season, lining up alongside Max Verstappen.

This marks the third time in the last four Grands Prix that Norris has started outside the top three. He was edged out by George Russell, who set his time on the medium Pirelli tires, while the softer C6 compound struggled to last a full lap at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit.

Norris had topped the opening segment of qualifying and felt his performance was strong until the final two laps, stating, "Not quick enough, that's all."

Norris was unable to improve on his final run, losing time in both the second and third sectors, while both Piastri and Verstappen improved their times.

When questioned about potential mistakes contributing to his lack of improvement, Norris responded, "No idea, the lap time just doesn't come.

"Same answer as every weekend, I think it's a regular thing. I feel better until I get to it [Q3], I obviously just need to work on it a lot, it's just not good enough."

This continues a pattern for Norris, who has struggled to deliver a perfect Q3 lap under pressure, making errors in Bahrain that led to a sixth-place start and crashing in Saudi Arabia's final qualifying segment, resulting in a 10th-place grid slot.

However, there is some encouragement for Norris, as he has achieved three podium finishes at Imola in previous visits, including a close second place to Verstappen last year.

Despite the potential for overtaking on the long main straight aided by DRS into the first braking zone, Norris is pessimistic about his chances of securing a second win of the season.

"I don't think our [race] pace is that much better," he stated. "I mean it's definitely going to be better I assume than others but I'm here to win and I know I haven't got much of a chance of winning. If I can get on the podium that will be nice."