At the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren’s Lando Norris secured seventh place on the starting grid, a position he does not view as a missed chance to reduce his gap to championship leader and teammate Oscar Piastri, who crashed during qualifying. Piastri’s incident in Q3 pushed him back to ninth on the grid, offering Norris an opening to gain ground in the championship standings ahead of the race on Sunday.
Despite the opportunity to capitalize, Norris finished just ahead of Piastri, who suffered the setback after his crash, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen overtook Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to claim pole position. This set the stage for a challenging race where McLaren drivers must strive to make up lost time and points against a dominant Verstappen.
Qualifying Struggles Under Challenging Conditions
Norris faced difficulties on his final qualifying lap, making a mistake at Turn 15—a corner that also caused troubles for Charles Leclerc earlier in the session. This error cost him crucial tenths of a second. Struggling with car grip overall, Norris conceded over a second to Verstappen’s Red Bull, a deficit worsened by his choice to run first on the track in Q3 as light rain began to fall.
The sudden onset of drizzle further complicated the already chaotic qualifying session, which was disrupted by a record six red flags. Norris reflected on his strategy and denied that Saturday was a missed chance for advancement.
“No, because I still did everything I could,”
he said. Lando Norris, McLaren
“If I’d won every race, I could be world champion by now. But I didn’t, you know? I went out first and it was just the wrong decision to make in the end. If everyone else got a yellow [flag] behind because someone else went off behind me, you wouldn’t be asking me this question. Sometimes it goes your way around here, sometimes it doesn’t. We thought we took a better option. I think it would have been if it wasn’t spitting, but it just started to spit again before the final run and then going out first is just the incorrect thing.
“It’s something we’ll learn from, but the opportunity is there every single weekend to be on pole. I try and do that every weekend, and today I struggled more because of not making the best decision. But that’s a hindsight thing, not an incorrect one at the time.”
Lando Norris, McLaren
Unpredictable gusts from the Caspian Sea made the two-hour qualifying session especially challenging. Norris pointed to the wind as a major factor contributing to multiple crashes and difficult conditions.
“Quite incredible,”
Lando Norris, McLaren
“I wish everyone could understand how difficult it was with the wind. I would say half the crashes you saw today were probably because of wind. Turn 4, where [Franco] Colapinto went off, a lot of people locked up. It feels like one of the worst corners I’ve ever driven in my life, just because of the 50km/h tailwinds. And the next lap it might be only 10km/h, and you feel like: ‘Oh, I can go a bit quicker.’ You go quicker the next lap, and you’re in the wall.”
Challenging Prospects for Race Day Strategy
Starting from seventh and ninth respectively, both McLaren drivers face an uphill battle on Sunday to contend with Verstappen, who appears strong over long runs. Norris acknowledged that in terms of sheer pace, the reigning world champion is likely to be difficult to overtake, especially given McLaren’s handling challenges.
“Hopefully it’ll be a good watch, but I think we weren’t running at the pace to beat Max,”
Lando Norris, McLaren
“He’s just going to be fast, but he’s been quick all weekend. They could easily win at Monza, they could easily win again here. I’m not sure about the win, but we’re trying to get on the podium. There’s a good amount of cars ahead that are probably a little bit out of position, but it’s not an easy track to overtake on. Charles was a lot quicker than Oscar last year, yet Oscar still won.
“I’ve not done any high-fuel running, so I’ve got a lot of questions I still need to answer and look into Oscar’s long runs. I’ve got a long night ahead of me.”
Lando Norris, McLaren
With tire wear and fuel loads still uncertain, Norris plans to analyze data extensively overnight to understand how his race pace might evolve compared to Piastri’s. The McLaren teammates will need to convert their qualifying positions into strong race results to close the points deficit to Verstappen and contend for podium finishes.
Implications and Outlook for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The outcome of qualifying and the challenges faced by both Norris and Piastri highlight the unpredictable nature of the Azerbaijan circuit, where variable wind conditions and track difficulties play a crucial role. Verstappen’s pole position underscores Red Bull’s strength, further raising the stakes for McLaren as they look to interrupt the championship leader’s momentum.
Norris’ acceptance of the split-second decisions that affected his qualifying run shows a pragmatic approach amid an intense and turbulent weekend. As the race unfolds, McLaren’s ability to adapt race strategies and manage the heavy pressures of the championship fight will be crucial.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix promises to be a critical test for both McLaren drivers as they attempt to recover ground lost through qualifying and capitalize on any opportunities during the race to narrow the championship gap to Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
