Piastri Under Pressure? Is McLaren’s Championship threatened by Max Verstappen in a stunning Grand Slam?
Updated: May 2
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix took place this weekend, consisting of thrilling scenes in qualifying that stood firm on race day. While some racers capitalised on the chaos, others fell victim to the madness that followed.
The problems started for McLaren on Saturday, whereby six crashes during qualifying not only took out Piastri in Q3, but also jeopardised Norris’ chances of qualifying any higher than P8. After a run of dominance for the Aussie, this turn of events was nothing anyone expected for this weekend, many theorising McLaren’s Constructor’s Championship could be won this weekend with what seemed like a simple 1-2 finish. This, however, was not on the cards for McLaren. With Norris also finishing towards the tail end of the top 10, what chance did he have to gain positions on an arguably difficult overtaking track?
Max Verstappen continuously proves to everyone that he is, in fact, still the best driver on the grid. He drives a rapid lap, knocking Carlos Sainz off pole position after a stunning turn of events for the Williams driver, after Albon crashed and begun the race last, desperately in need of making up positions. His lap time is not surprising, the four-time World Champion not far behind the McLaren duo when it comes to the Championship standings.
Sunday rolls around and McLaren’s situation goes from bad to worse. With a jump start, Piastri picks up a five second penalty before going into turn one dead last, only to put the car in the wall at turn five in the first lap of the race. This could have disastrous ramifications on his Championship contention – not only did this mean he picked up zero points, unable to contribute to the title race, but it meant that Verstappen was able to capitalise most on this race.
McLaren’s troubles do not stop there though, Norris yet again falling into the clutches of the McLaren pit crew. From a garage that makes incredibly fast pit stops, as seen in Monza with a 1.9 second pit stop, their times have gone down, particularly when it comes to Norris’ stops. From the potential to finish in the top five before the pit stop, to come out after a slow 4.1 second stop, as much as Norris attempts to keep himself in Championship contention, McLaren’s repetitive mistakes are potentially messing up his chances to compete with his teammate. Despite the potential for a higher position only being speculation, the evidence is clear – McLaren have a lot of work to do.
Verstappen’s grand slam this weekend not only highlights his still incredible skill keeping the Red Bull car competitive, but also highlights his hunger to possibly obtain his fifth Championship Title. The twenty five points received today closed the gap from him to Norris down to seventy points. Verstappen is still very much in the running, so we cannot count him out just yet. With just seven races to go, statistically he is still able to steal a Championship from McLaren. What was seen as a huge advantage could be put in jeopardy by such an insanely skilled driver.
This does bring a couple of questions, some completely absurd, that could make or break the reputation of McLaren. The circulation of conspiracies online is endless, but one thing keeps popping up: is Piastri ready to win a Championship title? Is the pressure getting to him? Is McLaren working against Norris? Or rather, favouring Piastri and therefore neglecting and even sabotaging Norris’ chances of a Championship Title? Can Max Verstappen really win his fifth title this year? With seven races to go, we sit at the edge of our seats, until we head to Singapore in October.
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