Formula 1 in Azerbaijan: No fun for Verstappen: McLaren soars in Baku

McLaren’s unbroken high-flying fortunes are causing Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team more and more difficulties in the Formula 1 title race. Thanks to Oscar Piastri’s victory in the Baku thriller and a great comeback by teammate Lando Norris, McLaren is not only within reach of its first team title since 1998, but Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship is also getting thinner and thinner. “It wasn’t much fun, of course,” said the disillusioned Dutchman, who had no chance with brake problems and overheated tires.

The defending champion still has a 59-point lead over Norris after the Briton managed to move from 15th on the grid to fourth place and irresistibly overtook Verstappen shortly before the end. “It’s more than I expected. Huge thanks to the team,” said Norris, who still has a chance of winning the World Championship in the remaining seven races of the season.

In the Constructivism classification, McLaren has already replaced industry leader Red Bull at the top. Because Sergio Pérez collided with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz shortly before the end in the fight for a podium place and was eliminated, Red Bull lost a lot of points and is now 20 points behind McLaren. “This is a massive setback,” admitted Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko on Sky.

Bad luck for Nico Hülkenberg

McLaren flexed its muscles again in Baku. Piastri, who had just been demoted to number two behind his colleague Norris, showed his class and crossed the finish line in first place, just ahead of Ferrari star Charles Leclerc. “That was the most stressful day of my life,” winner Piastri radioed to his pit.

It was his second career success after his victory in Hungary in July. “If you consider where we started when I came last year, we were literally last, now we are at the front,” enthused the 23-year-old Piastri. George Russell came third in his Mercedes. Nico Hülkenberg drove over debris and slipped out of the points in his Haas, finishing eleventh.

McLaren team order before the race

Before the 17th race of the season on the Caspian Sea, McLaren had, after a long period of hesitation, granted Norris number 1 status. In the battle for the drivers’ title, the Briton was to be given preference over Piastri, and the young Australian star promised to help. But Norris promptly botched the qualification in Baku.

Leclerc started the race in Azerbaijan from pole position for the fourth time in a row. Not a good omen: the 26-year-old had failed to win in the three previous attempts. But buoyed by his recent victory at Ferrari’s home race in Monza, Leclerc confidently held on to first place in the first few corners and initially stayed comfortably in front once the field had sorted itself out.

Red Bull fights against poor form

Piastri and Pérez followed behind. Verstappen, who was not happy with his sixth qualifying position, improved to fifth place in the first few kilometers. The crisis in form that Red Bull had slipped into over the summer was not as evident on the street circuit as it was recently in Monza. But the superiority of the first few months of the season, when the three-time world champion won seven out of ten races, is long gone.

McLaren and Ferrari had already made up a lot of ground in the previous weeks and clearly brought the stronger package with them to Azerbaijan. It was all the more annoying, especially for Norris, that he had already ruined his chance of winning and scoring many points on Saturday.

Close duel at the top

At least the 24-year-old’s recovery went according to plan. He quickly moved up into the top ten and was even fifth before his first tire change. Things went even better for his teammate Piastri. He attacked Leclerc with fresh rubber tires and squeezed past the Ferrari driver to the top on lap 20.

Piastri, Leclerc and Pérez were now racing closely behind one another. Behind them, Norris and Verstappen were dueling, the latter complaining about his company car. Despite new tyres, the Dutchman simply couldn’t get past his title rival, who delayed his first pit stop for a long time. When Norris then changed to fresh tyres, he crowned his strong racing performance. Around 15 seconds behind Verstappen, Norris caught up and overtook him again shortly before the end.

Meanwhile, Piastri and Leclerc were engaged in a thrilling duel for several laps. Using the DRS overtaking aid, the Ferrari driver came very close to the young Australian several times on the home straight, but Piastri defended himself skillfully again and again. Shortly before the end, Leclerc had to admit defeat.