Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri experienced a difficult Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a weekend that saw McLaren’s championship hopes face a new challenge from a resurgent Max Verstappen.
While Norris finished seventh, his team-mate Piastri had a rare off-weekend, crashing out of the race after a series of mistakes.
The Australian’s struggles allowed Norris to close the points gap, but the Briton was left frustrated, feeling his qualifying performance, which included touching a wall, had dictated his race result.
Team principal Andrea Stella admitted the Baku circuit was not a good fit for their car, which is not suited for tracks with long straights and low downforce.
This proved to be a stark contrast to Verstappen, who delivered a flawless performance to secure a dominant victory.
Although Verstappen remains 69 points behind Piastri, both Stella and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc acknowledge that he is a serious threat in the drivers’ championship.
