McLaren’s hopes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix took a significant hit due to a Lando Norris pitstop mistake during the race in Baku. With Oscar Piastri out early after a first-lap crash, Norris was McLaren’s sole contender, but a problem during his pitstop on lap 38 severely affected his chances of finishing in the top five.
The pitstop delay was caused by difficulty securing the front-right wheel, which extended the stop to more than four seconds. This unexpected setback dropped Norris to eighth place, behind Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, instead of gaining clear track position as McLaren had anticipated.
Efforts to Recover Lost Ground on Track
Despite the disadvantage, Norris launched a determined comeback on the circuit. He overtook Leclerc by lap 41 at Turn 1, narrowing the gap on the drivers ahead. However, by lap 43, Norris found himself stuck behind Lawson and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, with Ferraris closing in from behind.
The presence of a DRS (Drag Reduction System) train made overtaking difficult, as the sequence of cars allowed drivers to use DRS in tandem, limiting opportunities for Norris to gain positions. Even with a 17-lap tire offset against Leclerc, the tight layout of the Baku street circuit further hampered passing maneuvers.
Critical Comments Reflect McLaren’s Frustrations
Karun Chandhok from Sky Sports F1 expressed the disappointment felt by McLaren and Norris over the pitstop slip-up:
“The seconds there were so critical because he would have cleared that battle!”
He added,
“It really hasn’t worked for Lando with his slow stop – he would have cleared this whole pack of cars!”
Bernie Collins, also from Sky Sports F1, analyzed the data and highlighted how the slow pitstop cost Norris heavily:
“When I looked quickly at the data we had on the pit wall, should have come out ahead of Leclerc and Tsunoda after his pit stop. Then he missed the opportunity to undercut Lawson.”
Collins continued,
“He would have had a much better chance at Antonelli and Sainz if he had been ahead of Lawson. So I think McLaren are going to look at that pit stop and think it was very, very detrimental to their day, it’s also the second race in a row they have had a slow pit stop. That’s something they need to get on top of.”
McLaren’s Internal Review and Norris’s Feedback
Team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged the issue after the race, admitting there was a problem with the front-right wheel during the stop:
“I think there was an issue on the front right, I’ll have to review and assess, certainly there’s a few things to polish also on the pitstop side.”
When questioned about the overall impact, Stella said,
“I’m not sure, we should look carefully at the timing, I’m not sure if the one, one and a half second would have been fundamental or not. It’s better to look carefully at the data and then when you have the facts, assess what was possible.”
Norris reflected on his challenges during the race, especially running in the DRS train:
“I don’t think we were bad, but I could barely keep up with Tsunoda and there were parts of the track where the Red Bull was just unbelievably fast, had no chance to keep up with him in some areas so we clearly struggled a little bit this weekend, this race.”
He also admitted the car was difficult to handle, saying,
“The car was difficult to drive on a bit of a knife’s edge at times, easy to either be just too slow, sometimes kind of feel like you’re there and then lock up and then something goes wrong. The car didn’t fill us with a lot of confidence this weekend and I think that showed from probably both of our performances.”
Final Outcome and Future Implications for McLaren
Lando Norris ultimately finished seventh, a result well below what could have been expected without the pitstop problem. Considering the team’s rare chance for a solid points haul in Baku, the costly mistake shocked McLaren fans and contributors alike.
This incident marks McLaren’s second consecutive race affected by delayed pitstops, raising questions about the team’s execution under pressure. With the Azerbaijan GP behind them, McLaren must now focus on diagnosing and correcting these operational errors to regain competitiveness and maximize opportunities for Norris and his team-mate in upcoming races.
