Lando Norris could not capitalise on a rare retirement for his McLaren teammate and 2025 F1 title rival Oscar Piastri in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen won.
Baku witnessed Piastri fail to finish a Grand Prix for the first time in 700 days, as the 24-year-old found the barrier at Turn 5 on the first lap on Sunday. The 2025 F1 drivers’ championship leader had not retired through the previous 44 Grands Prix since the 2023 United States GP.
Yet Norris could not punish his papaya pal’s plight, as the 25-year-old failed to progress from seventh on the grid and finished the Azerbaijan GP in P7. Despite Piastri’s Lap 1 crash in the Azerbaijan GP, Norris only ate six points into his now 25-point deficit to his McLaren partner.
Instead, it was Red Bull driver Verstappen making the most of the Azerbaijan GP, as the four-time champion won from pole position to edge within 69 points of Piastri with seven Grands Prix and three Sprints left. He also won successive races for the first time since June 2024.
Max Verstappen’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix win lets Lando Norris ‘see the light’ for his 2025 F1 title bid ‘again’
And Ralf Schumacher thinks Verstappen winning the Italian GP and the Azerbaijan GP back-to-back has actually let Norris see the “light at the end of the tunnel again” for his 2025 F1 drivers’ title bid. Now, the Briton has another rival who can stop Piastri securing big points.
READ MORE: Every error that cost Lando Norris points in his failed 2024 F1 title challenge
| DRIVER | POINTS | GRAND PRIX WINS | GRAND PRIX POLES | GRAND PRIX PODIUMS |
| Oscar Piastri | 324 | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| Lando Norris | 299 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
| Max Verstappen | 255 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
Norris’ Dutch GP retirement at the end of August left the Bristol-born driver 34 points adrift of Piastri in the championship standings, while Verstappen left Zandvoort 104 behind. But a rare retirement for Piastri in Baku may have reignited the title fight for all three drivers now.
Schumacher told Sky Germany’s Backstage Boxengasse: “Lando sees a bit of light at the end of the tunnel again. Max is here, and he can now take points away, which wasn’t the case before. That’s also very important in this situation.
“If Lando manages to drive a good race and Max finishes between him and Oscar Piastri, he still has a realistic chance.”
Ralf Schumacher praises Lando Norris for not taking ‘any risks’ but Baku was a missed opportunity
Schumacher adds that the Azerbaijan GP was a missed opportunity for Norris, though, as he could have left Baku in an even stronger position to potentially win the 2025 F1 drivers’ title after Piastri’s crash. Yet he admires that Norris did not take “any risks” during Sunday’s race.
Norris’ brush with a barrier during qualifying in Baku was also the root of his problems, as it meant he started from seventh place. The MCL39’s straight-line pace was then not enough for Norris to avoid being stuck in a DRS train running behind Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.
Schumacher added: “In my opinion, that wasn’t enough. Lando could have gotten more out of it. He should have been further up in qualifying. That would have made a difference. The race usually builds up quite differently. He still has to work on that.
“Nevertheless, unlike his teammate, he drove a flawless race. He tried, but didn’t take any risks. So, hats off to him.”
Norris had chances to try a daring dive on Red Bull driver Tsunoda for sixth place, but often chose to accept his P7 in the Azerbaijan GP and avoid the risk of sustaining damage for the extra two points. Yet it may have opened the door to attack Lawson for another two points.