GP Baku | Two-faced qualifying for McLaren: Piastri on the front row, Norris out in Q1

Qualifications with two faces Baku is preferably used for McLaren, with Lando Norris excluded already in Q1 and forced to start from sixteenth position in the Great Azerbaijan Prize. With this result the British driver not only risks his chances in the drivers' championship, being still, at least on paper, the main rival of Max Verstappen. With a 62-point deficit, such performances further complicate their comeback. Also for the McLaren, the objective of the constructors' championship becomes more difficult, especially with a Ferrari recovering, ready to start from pole position with Charles Leclerc and from third place with Carlos Sainz.

However, Oscar piastri managed to save the day for the team Working: The Australian took the MCL38 all the way to Q3, and will be the only one Papaya to fight against the two Ferraris. It will not be an easy race for McLaren, which is still in the thick of the fight in the constructors' championship. It is currently eight points behind Red Bull, However, she also appeared to be in difficulty on the Azerbaijani track. Piastres will have to try everything to keep the British team's ambitions high, while Norris will have to try a very complicated comeback from the lower part of the grid.

“Qualifying here in Baku was a bit of a mixed bag for us – admitted Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal. Lando was unlucky not to be able to complete his second lap due to an unexpected yellow flag, caused by a slow car exiting Turn 16 (Or with, ed.). Up until that point, his pace was very similar to Oscar’s, who comfortably made it through to Q2, finishing third. It’s a frustrating result, but the Baku circuit often presents opportunities during the race, so we will work hard tonight to be ready to maximise our potential and score valuable points tomorrow.”

“As for Oscar, we were able to make the most of the pace of the car, securing a front row start. It was an excellent performance from him, finishing second, behind only Charles Leclerc, who has already had several pole positions at this track. This result demonstrates Oscar’s strength and maturity and puts us in an ideal position to fight for a strong result tomorrow, in a race where several teams could be competing for the win.”