Lando Norris felt he had “let McLaren down” after a stop/go penalty saw him fall down the rankings at the Qatar Grand Prix after he went from fighting for the lead to trying to get away from the back to move forward from the field.

It was a solid start to the race for Norris, who beat Mercedes driver George Russell at the start and duel with Max Verstappen for P1. While the Red Bull man held the position, Norris mounted another challenge later in an eventful race but still had to settle for second place.

READ MORE: Verstappen storms to victory ahead of Leclerc and Piastri in action-packed Qatar Grand Prix amid three safety cars

However, what looked like a podium finish was lost when the Brit received a 10-second stop/go penalty shortly beforehand for failing to slow down while the yellow flags were being waved twice. He promptly served this and fell back to the back of the field before gaining a few positions and finally crossing the finish line in 10th place.

Asked during a post-race conversation with Sky Sports F1 if he found the punishment harsh, Norris replied: “Honestly I don’t know what I did wrong at the moment. Apparently I didn’t slow down at yellow. I’m not an idiot – if I had known there was yellow, I would have slowed down.