After a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren has taken the lead in the Constructors’ Championship. During the race, both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris drove brilliantly to give them the edge over Red Bull.
During Saturday’s qualifying session, Lando was unable to get a clean lap in during Q1 due to the yellow flags that were waved in the final sector. Piastri on the other hand had a more positive session where he was set to start 2nd for the race, alongside Charles Leclerc. Both the McLaren drivers played their roles brilliantly to take the lead in the Championship.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris delivers at Azerbaijan GP
As the Grand Prix started, Charles was able to maintain his lead for the entire 1st stint. But during the 2nd stint, Oscar had come into the pits a lap prior. By the time Charles pitted and came out with cold tyres, Oscar’s was already warmed up. This allowed him to stay close to the Ferrari until he could attempt a daring overtake with impressive brake control.
But even after the overtake, Leclerc stayed very close and attempted to get past several times. But Piastri was not willing to give up that easily. He successfully defended Leclerc lap after lap, until the Ferrari’s tyres eventually gave up.
🚨 | McLaren have now overtaken Red Bull in the constructors championship and have a 20 point gap going into Singapore.
Red Bull has lost first place in the constructors after more than two years.
[@f1multiviewer] #F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/Kd9EvFogkm
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 15, 2024
Lando Norris on the other hand had a bit more challenging job to do as he was starting from 15th. However, after starting the race on hard tyres, he was able to stay out longer than most on the grid. And then when he finally pit for medium tyres, he came out in 7th place, behind Verstappen. Norris was able to use his fresh tyres to close the gap and overtake the Dutch driver for 6th place.
Just a lap after, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz crashed into each other while fighting for the final podium spot. After they took each other out, Norris crossed the line in 4th position.
Should McLaren rethink team orders after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren stated that they would be giving priority to Lando Norris as they wanted to help him win the Drivers’ Championship. At that point, with 8 races to go, he was 62 points behind. Although he has closed the gap by 3 points at Baku, Norris is still 59 points behind with 7 races to go.
On the other hand, Oscar Piastri is just 32 points behind Norris. Given Oscar’s form in the past few races, there is a better chance of him catching Norris than Norris catching Verstappen. So should McLaren scrap team orders to let their drivers fight?
OSCAR PIASTRI CONQUERS THE STREETS OF BAKU AND SECURES HIS SECOND EVER RACE WIN! 🏆
An unforgettable drive sees him claim the top spot at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix!
Leclerc finishes in second with Russell in third place. #F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/sBSChO9u3X
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 15, 2024
This is a difficult question. But I would say no. Let Norris continue his chase for the Drivers’ Championship. There are 7 Grand Prix races and 3 sprint races left this season. And if the past races are anything to go by, nothing can be predicted. we might even see Verstappen DNF in a race or two with Norris winning.
One more thing to take into account is Red Bull’s form in the recent races. While they started off the season all high and mighty, there is no doubt that they have fallen behind McLaren and Ferrari in the past 6 or 7 races. In the last 2 races, Verstappen has been struggling to stay in the top 5.
So although the gap is slightly large with just 7 more race weekends to go, anything can happen in Formula 1.
Do you think McLaren should retain their decision to prioritize Lando Norris? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
