Oscar Piastri’s title aspirations took a hit but survived a first-lap crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while teammate Lando Norris could only manage seventh place, failing to capitalize on his rival’s misfortune.
Piastri’s crash ended an impressive 34-race streak of finishing Grand Prix events within the first five corners. This incident opened an opportunity for McLaren’s Norris to gain significant ground in the championship battle. However, Norris had a sluggish start and found passing difficult on Baku’s challenging street circuit, ultimately scoring just six points and narrowing Piastri’s championship lead to 25 points with seven races remaining.
Max Verstappen, starting from pole position, delivered a dominant lights-to-flag victory, finishing 14 seconds ahead of the field. This was his second consecutive win, closing his gap to Piastri to 69 points. George Russell put in an impressive performance, securing second place for Mercedes after starting fifth, while Carlos Sainz earned Williams their first podium since 2021 by finishing third.
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Piastri qualified a modest ninth after crashing in qualifying and then suffered a problematic start, including a jump start penalty and an anti-stall activation that pushed him to the back of the field. His race ended prematurely when he locked up under braking at turn five and slammed into the wall, bringing out the safety car.
Norris, starting seventh due to a lackluster qualifying session, lost positions early on and was further compromised when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc overtook him at turn one after the safety car restart. Watching from the sidelines, Piastri kept track of Norris’s progress on his phone as the race unfolded.
During the race, McLaren extended Norris’s first stint, hoping to find an advantage. However, a slow pit stop later in the race relegated Norris to eighth upon rejoining. With fresher tires, Norris clawed his way back past Leclerc and set his sights on Yuki Tsunoda. Despite his efforts, Norris could not pass Tsunoda, who was also held up behind Liam Lawson, leading Norris to settle for seventh place.
Ferrari attempted an undercut move by swapping Lewis Hamilton ahead of Leclerc to challenge Norris, but it was unsuccessful, and Hamilton finished eighth.
George Russell, battling illness over the weekend, delivered a strong performance to finish second after pit stops shuffled positions. Kimi Antonelli completed the top four for Mercedes.
Overall, it was a challenging weekend for McLaren, who had hoped to clinch the Constructors’ Championship with multiple races to spare but now face renewed pressure as the title fight intensifies.