Norris Misses His Chance as Piastri Falters in Baku
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was supposed to be a golden chance for Lando Norris. His McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, finally had one of those rare weekends where everything fell apart—crashes, errors, and even a false start. For Norris, it should have been the moment to claw back a big chunk of points in the championship fight. But instead, he left Baku with only six points gained, finishing exactly where he started: seventh.
Now, was this a missed opportunity? Many kept asking Norris that question, and he kept brushing it off. His explanation was simple—qualifying ruined his chances. On a track like Baku, overtaking is close to impossible. So when he ended Saturday’s chaotic qualifying session in seventh place, that’s where he was locked in for Sunday. The race played out exactly that way.
Also Read:- Troy Deeney’s Premier League Team of the Week Unveiled
- Ballon d'Or 2025: Who Will Take Football’s Biggest Prize?
Qualifying itself was one of the most disrupted sessions in Formula 1 history, with six red flags and treacherous conditions. Piastri crashed, landing him ninth on the grid. Norris had the chance to do better but made the choice to run first in the final three minutes. That meant slightly worse track conditions compared to those who followed, and it cost him dearly. To make matters worse, he clipped the wall at Turn 15, losing valuable time. Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, defended the decision to send him out early, but admitted it was Norris’ misjudgment that sealed the result.
On Sunday, Norris insisted he did “everything I could.” In fairness, once the race started, there wasn’t much he could have changed. The car lacked the pace to move forward, and he stayed clean, avoided mistakes, but couldn’t threaten the front-runners. Stella even remarked that no other driver could have extracted more from the McLaren that day. But it still felt like a weekend where Norris should have left with more.
Meanwhile, Piastri’s weekend was nothing short of a disaster. He made mistakes in every session—unusual for a driver who has been so composed all season. After crashing in qualifying, he jumped the start, dropped to last, and then ended his race early with another crash. Piastri admitted he made far too many mistakes but insisted it wasn’t down to pressure. He called it a rare “executional” blip and promised to move on quickly.
And then, looming over all of this, was Max Verstappen. While the McLaren drivers struggled, Verstappen delivered a flawless weekend—pole, win, and fastest lap. His second straight dominant victory has revived whispers about whether he can still mount a late title challenge. Stella himself admitted that Verstappen remains “a very serious contender,” especially after Red Bull’s recent upgrades.
So, leaving Baku, the storyline is layered. Piastri dropped the ball in a big way. Norris, though steady, couldn’t capitalize as much as he needed. And Verstappen? He’s reminding everyone that he’s still Max Verstappen—never to be counted out. The next stop is Singapore, where McLaren should be stronger. But if they let weekends like Baku slip away again, the championship picture could change quickly.
Read More:
0 Comments