Motor racing: Norris hard on himself after losing his quickest lap

(Reuters) - McLaren's Lando Norris was hard on himself after Saturday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying and a hug from the boss did not make him feel any better.

The 21-year-old Briton ended up seventh on the starting grid for Sunday's Formula One race at Imola, a place behind team mate Daniel Ricciardo, but it would have been third had he not had a lap deleted for exceeding track limits.

At the time, the lap would have been good enough to pitch him on to the front row.

"I’m pretty disappointed, pretty annoyed with myself," Norris said.

"The team did an awesome job, the car really came alive in quali. We made a lot of improvements from Friday but on that one lap that I don’t need to make a mistake on, I effed it all up."

Team principal Andreas Seidl said it was typical Norris, very self-critical, and he preferred to focus on the car's improved performance.

"He did a sensational job in this qualifying session. He was flying. It's great to see how confident he feels in the car," said the German.

"He got a hug from me after the session, which he doesn't like, but I'm sure he will be fully focused tomorrow morning."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Clare Fallon)