Lately, all the momentum has been with Lando Norris in F1. It came to a shuddering halt on Saturday in Baku as Norris failed to reach Q3 for the first time this season after a shock elimination in Q1, qualifying 17th. A yellow flag in the final sector of the lap forced Norris to abandon his effort, much to McLaren’s frustration.
Norris’ consistent form has meant that he has rarely needed a fightback this year.
One crumb of comfort for Norris is Baku’s reputation for unpredictable races, which led the promoters to coin the term ‘Baku syndrome’ last year. One-third of the podium finishers in Baku have come from outside the top five of the grid, while Daniel Ricciardo won from as far back as P10 in 2017.
Norris was less optimistic about his chances:
💬 “I don’t think it’s going to be easy. Following is pretty much impossible around here, and overtaking is a lot worse than everyone thinks. I hope I’m wrong, of course, and there’s plenty of chances. But I’m not expecting so.”
Should Verstappen struggle to advance from sixth on the grid, the Q1 exit may not prove so costly to Norris. But at a time when Red Bull is on the back foot, it’ll sting as another missed opportunity for McLaren in a season quickly filling up with them.
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How Lando Norris’ F1 Azerbaijan GP qualifying came undone due to a yellow flag call
