It's like I've never driven an F1 car - Norris

Bahrain Grand Prix

Venue: Sakhir Dates: 11-13 April Race start: 16:00 BST connected Sunday

Coverage: Race unrecorded connected BBC Radio 5 Live. Live matter updates connected nan BBC Sport website and app

Lando Norris said he felt "clueless" and "like I person ne'er driven a Formula 1 car before" aft qualifying sixth for nan Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Briton's McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri took rod position, while Norris was 0.426 seconds slower than nan Australian.

Norris said: "No large complaints. The car's amazing. The car's arsenic bully arsenic it has been each season, which is strong.

"Just I've been disconnected it each weekend. I don't cognize why. Just clueless connected way astatine nan minute. I don't know. I conscionable request a large reset, that's all."

The 25-year-old leads nan world title by 1 constituent from Red Bull's Max Verstappen and is 13 up of Piastri earlier Sunday's race.

Verstappen qualified seventh, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Mercedes' George Russell, Pierre Gasly's Alpine and nan 2nd Mercedes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli are betwixt Norris and Piastri connected nan grid.

Norris said: "I conscionable don't cognize really to attack it. I can't fig it out. Every clip I effort something, it's bully for 1 convention and past it's nan incorrect point for nan adjacent convention because nan wind's changed, and I conscionable can't travel pinch nan car. And erstwhile I can't flow, I'm conscionable not very quick.

"I've conscionable sewage to activity connected myself. I can't responsibility nan squad and nan car is nan champion by a agelong way. But intelligibly I'm conscionable not clicking astatine nan minute."

McLaren squad main Andrea Stella said Norris had suffered from a weakness that has been afflicting him since nan commencement of nan season, successful that he is struggling to extrapolate nan champion from nan car successful qualifying because of definite handling characteristics it has.

Stella said: "Lando is simply a very accelerated driver, a people accelerated driver pinch an unthinkable race-craft. It's much a phase, I think, erstwhile it comes to Q3, putting together nan lap, that hasn't worked very good recently, but this is simply a short phase.

"He is conscionable now successful this impermanent shape successful which, while pushing nan car to nan limit, there's a fewer things that don't spell precisely arsenic he expects, and erstwhile you spell for nan other 0.1secs successful Q3, this becomes much visible.

"We understand what it is. It will conscionable require a spot of adjustment from Lando himself, and immoderate adaptations from nan team. But I deliberation nan knowing is good, and we are very optimistic that this will beryllium resolved."

Stella said that nan rumor does not manifest itself successful races, erstwhile drivers are not pushing arsenic hard.

"This doesn't impact nan title pace," Stella said. "Already successful believe Lando has shown a very beardown thigh successful nan title tally simulations, truthful I'm really looking guardant to seeing Lando uncovering his measurement backmost tomorrow to nan beforehand of nan pack."

Lewis Hamilton was different driver struggling to explicate his shortage to his team-mate.

The seven-time champion qualified ninth, six places and 0.597secs down team-mate Charles Leclerc, who was promoted to 2nd connected nan grid because of a punishment for Mercedes' George Russell.

Hamilton said: "Not overmuch to say. I'm conscionable not doing a bully capable job. Have to support improving. I will effort and spot if I tin get successful nan apical five. We will see. Clearly nan car is bully enough. Certainly not a bully feeling, for sure."

Pressed for really he will amended successful qualifying, he said: "I really don't know. I really don't person a batch of answers for you guys. Just wasn't speedy today."

Ferrari person been disappointed by nan gait of their car truthful acold this season, notwithstanding Hamilton's triumph successful nan sprint title successful China astatine nan 2nd expansive prix.

Leclerc said he had been trying "extreme" car set-ups successful trying to find much pace.

"At nan opening of nan season, we evidently weren't wherever we wanted to be," Leclerc said, "and since 2 aliases 3 races I've gone successful an absorbing guidance setup-wise, which seems to thief maine to extract a spot much retired of nan car. That's what I'm trying to do each weekend. For now, it seems to beryllium amended and better, which is simply a bully motion for nan future."

Ferrari person a caller level connected nan car successful Bahrain, which Leclerc said had worked arsenic intended but should beryllium a bigger advantage astatine different races to come.

"The squad has done a really, really bully job. We've each pushed rather a batch successful nan past fewer weeks because we've been struggling pinch performance.

"I cognize that astatine nan mill they've been pushing for illustration crazy to effort and bring this level a spot earlier on, and that decidedly made nan difference.

"Because if I look astatine nan spread pinch P4, it's not that overmuch and I'm beautiful judge that without nan level I wouldn't beryllium P3. So that's already 1 position won.

"I'm funny to spot what it will do tomorrow [in nan race]. However, it's astir apt not nan champion way to extract nan maximum retired of this caller upgrade, but successful nan adjacent fewer weekends we shall spot much of it."

Verstappen, who suffered a problem pinch nan braking strategy connected his Red Bull arsenic good arsenic inconsistent grip, said he was hopeful of being capable to conflict pinch nan cars down nan McLarens successful nan race.

"In nan past, high-deg tracks person been bully for us," Verstappen said, "but pinch nan equilibrium we had coming it will beryllium very difficult. But of people I americium only looking forward. The McLarens will beryllium excessively speedy but nan others we tin follow."