F1 title opening could prove to be Norris's only chance

Under the afternoon sun on Saturday in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, it felt like the moment the drivers’ title slipped away from Lando Norris.

- KIERAN JACKSON

Due to a combination of bad luck and needless risk, the McLaren driver was eliminated from the first part of qualifying and started Sunday’s grand prix in 15th. The scant consolation was that it was just nine places behind championship leader Max Verstappen, who could only manage sixth.

But a terrific recovery drive, in the face of more drastic floundering in the Red Bull corner, saw Norris finish a spot above Verstappen in fourth. From a position where it seemed certain that Verstappen would stretch his lead beyond 70 points again, it is now down to 59 points. With seven races to go, the chase is still on.

The only issue for McLaren is that it’s been on for a while. Since Norris’s memorable first F1 triumph in Miami in May, the papaya have discernibly had the quickest car on the grid but have only managed to win three more races. Only one of them has come from Norris, with Oscar Piastri stealing the show with a stunning victory on the shores of the Caspian Sea on Sunday, coming out on top in a riveting battle with Charles Leclerc. It was the drive of the year so far.