Azerbaijan GP: Why Lando Norris can salvage Baku catastrophe to avoid wasting F1 championship towards Max Verstappen | F1 Information

Lando Norris faces an uphill activity in an enormous day for the F1 title race on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he begins seventeenth for Sunday’s race in Baku.

Norris had a disastrous Qualifying as he was eradicated in Q1 resulting from confusion with yellow flags, which pressured him to desert his lap as different drivers improved and faces the chance of his 62-point deficit to Max Verstappen rising.

However Verstappen will solely begin the race in sixth as Pink Bull’s struggles continued, and the Dutchman was outqualified by team-mate Sergio Perez for the primary time for the reason that 2023 Miami Grand Prix.

With each title contenders within the thick of the motion on the tight, twisty Baku Metropolis Circuit, Sunday’s race, at 12pm on Sky Sports activities F1 and Essential Occasion, will virtually definitely be pivotal within the title race.

“Lando knows he has a quick car and Red Bull will suffer in a straight line with a big wing,” mentioned 1997 F1 world champion and Sky Sports activities F1’s particular visitor pundit Jacques Villeneuve.

“Max is beginning sixth and will have a problem in the beginning and never rating factors, then Lando finishes seventh or eighth and scores just a few factors.

“It’s not over in the championship battle. If Verstappen was on pole, it would be a different story.”

The lengthy runs in Friday follow prompt Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Pink Bull had been evenly matched.

A one-stop race is anticipated because of the low tyre degradation however there was a Security Automotive or Digital Security Automotive at each Azerbaijan Grand Prix since 2017.

Verstappen will probably be relieved that Norris is in the direction of the rear of the grid, as Oscar Piastri proved McLaren had a automobile that was adequate for the entrance row behind pole-siter Charles Leclerc.

Villeneuve feels Verstappen’s fundamental focus will probably be on Norris and easily outscoring the British driver.

“You could see the car in qualifying was quite understeery, which is not something he likes,” he added. “To fix their rear end, that’s very nasty – they need to have a bit of understeer which suits Perez better.

“Max does not prefer it, he does not wish to arrange the automobile that manner. It isn’t a very good signal for the race. Listening to Checo, he did not appear to have a lot confidence in him for the race too.

“They have the biggest rear wing of the whole field. That in the race, with the straight line, cannot be a good thing.”

As for Norris, a 3rd win of the season is off the desk and the 24-year-old must restrict the injury.

“There’s a long race ahead. We have some good tyres in the bank,” he mentioned.

“I’m still hopeful we can get a good result. I think the car is quick.”

May Leclerc give himself an outdoor shot in title race?

After taking a shock victory in Monza two weeks in the past, Leclerc’s dominance on Saturday seems to have confirmed Ferrari are very legitimately again within the combine on the entrance of the grid.

Not solely did the Monegasque ship two laps adequate for pole, however his team-mate Carlos Sainz, who has beforehand struggled in Baku, was in a position to strengthen Ferrari’s place by claiming third behind McLaren’s Piastri.

Whereas all the main focus has been on Norris chasing down Verstappen, Leclerc might leapfrog the Brit on Sunday if he had been to win the race and the McLaren driver went pointless.

Ferrari might additionally surge again into the Constructors’ Championship battle, with the Italian squad simply 39 factors again from Pink Bull, who lead McLaren by eight factors.

“Let’s say it’s the best we could have hoped for,” mentioned Leclerc, who’s 86 factors behind Verstappen within the Drivers’ Championship.

“I mean normally the even side of the grid has a little bit less grip, so first and third is where you want to start, and hopefully we can play a team game to win that race.

“However it will be a protracted race. Prior to now we had been very sturdy in Qualifying however struggling a bit within the race. This yr now we have a stronger race automobile, so I hope that we are able to lastly make it.”

Leclerc’s victory in Monza was constructed upon an audacious one-stop technique that noticed him brilliantly handle his tyres to beat a McLaren front-row lockout.

With a one-stop technique the seemingly order of the day in Baku on Sunday, Leclerc says he is able to utilise his ‘tyre whispering’ abilities as soon as extra.

“Tyre management will be a big thing as well, so we’ve got to do a good job,” he added.

“We’ve done a really good job in Monza. But we have to reset every race as we do, and that’s what we did.

“Sunday is one other race with different points, though tyre degradation is there. It is with totally different tyres so you have to adapt to that, and we’ll do our homework to prepare.”

Sky Sports activities F1’s reside Azerbaijan GP schedule

Sunday September 15
8.30am: F2 Characteristic Race
10:30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Azerbaijan GP build-up*
12pm: The AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX*
2pm: Chequered Flag: Azerbaijan GP response
3pm: Ted’s Pocket book

*additionally reside on Sky Sports activities Essential Occasion

System 1 leaves mainland Europe for Baku and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this Sunday at 12pm, reside on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream each F1 race and extra with a NOW Sports activities Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime