Max Verstappen certified for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on pole whereas Lando Norris may handle solely seventh after McLaren team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri crashed out
Lando Norris refused to confess a chance missed regardless of title rival Oscar Piastri crashing out of qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Aussie smashed up his McLaren in one in every of a swathe of incidents throughout an action-packed session in Baku.
Qualifying was stopped SIX occasions for crashes – a brand new Components 1 file – and took two hours to finish as chaos reigned on the streets of the Azerbaijani capital. For context, that’s 45 minutes longer than it took for Max Verstappen to win the complete Italian Grand Prix from pole two weeks in the past.
The Dutchman averted all of the drama to take pole, however Norris needed to accept seventh and can begin right now’s race simply two locations above his McLaren team-mate. However when requested by Sky Sports activities if it was an opportunity wasted in his title bid, he swiftly replied: “Nope.”
The Brit elaborated: “It was only a mistake from my aspect, from our aspect, to exit of the pit lane first. If there was a yellow flag or a pink, we might have regarded just like the heroes, however now I sort of seem like the loser. That is the value you pay generally round right here, and the chance you are taking. Only a choice that did not work out.”
What irked Norris most was that his finest effort was greater than a full second slower than Verstappen’s pole lap. And he pointed at that as he hinted that driving from seventh on the grid to victory shall be a tall order, even with some vehicles beginning forward of the McLarens misplaced by way of automotive efficiency.
He added: “I needed extra. It feels prefer it hurts a bit as a result of this isn’t regular for us. I made a mistake which price a few locations however the remainder of the lap wasn’t the place it wanted to be, the grip wasn’t there. Crimson Bull are simply too fast. They’re simply as fast as us, simply.”
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The chaos created a mixed-up grid with Carlos Sainz on the entrance row with Verstappen in his Williams. Liam Lawson additionally shocked with a time fast sufficient for third on right now’s grid with rookie Kimi Antonelli fourth, forward of George Russell for simply the second time all 12 months.
However it was a shocker for Ferrari as Charles Leclerc crashed out earlier than Piastri in Q3, confirming the top of his outstanding run which noticed him take pole place for the Baku race on every of his earlier 4 visits to this circuit. Lewis Hamilton did not even make it that far.
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“Truthfully, I’m so disenchanted,” stated the seven-time F1 champion who certified twelfth. “Our tempo has been good, we have been progressing, and I used to be feeling actually on it. It is simply that we did not have the precise tyre on on the finish.”
Hamilton stated he was overruled by Ferrari after requesting the medium tyre, including: “The selection was taken to not [use] it. I needed to, however they stated the warm-up was too lengthy. I truthfully thought I’d be capturing for pole right now, so it is come as a little bit of a shock.”
