Former F1 driver David Brabham believes the underwhelming
Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend at McLaren may serve as a blessing in
disguise as the season approaches its final rounds. Title
contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both endured a difficult
event, with the latter notably having a more dismal time. The
championship leader crashed in qualifying and saw his race last
just three corners before he locked up and speared into the
barrier, marking his first non-finish of the year. It was an
uncharacteristic weekend for the Australian who is seeking to
clinch his first title this year. The race was won by Max
Verstappen in dominant fashion, as the Red Bull driver crushed the
competition en route to his sixth career grand slam, drawing praise
from Brabham. “It all kind of fell apart [for McLaren] in Baku,
obviously in tricky conditions,” Brabham exclusively told
RacingNews365 . “But look at someone like Max, who again did a
flawless example of what a world champion is like.” Brabham has
backed McLaren to use the difficult weekend to reset and come out
stronger in the weeks ahead. “McLaren and Oscar had just one of
those bad weekends, just didn’t quite work out for them,” he said.
“[There were] too many mistakes that were very costly. You have to
ask the question, why? “Is that the pressure of everything building
to the point where it has to have like a pop-off valve to release
the pressure and readjust for the rest of the season? “It could be
seen as a blessing in some way, because it’s helped them to do that
and refocus for the rest of the season. So it’ll be fascinating to
see what happens next.” Norris could not take advantage of the poor
race from Piastri and ended the grand prix in seventh, allowing
Piastri to walk away from the weekend with a healthy 25-point lead
intact. With seven rounds remaining, there is still an opportunity
for Norris to overcome the deficit. But having missed out on a
chance to take a large bite out of Piastri's lead in Baku, Brabham
stated the latter will be content that his mistakes didn't cost him
to a greater extent. “Lando had a great opportunity in qualifying
in particular, to get up the grid, but he didn’t quite do that,”
Brabham highlighted. “In the race, obviously, with the way the
track was and how little effect the DRS seemed to have, he just
couldn’t move up. “So an opportunity missed from, from Lando’s
point of view, and I think Oscar definitely has gone away from the
weekend going ‘that could have gone a lot worse’.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend at McLaren may serve as a blessing in
disguise as the season approaches its final rounds. Title
contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both endured a difficult
event, with the latter notably having a more dismal time. The
championship leader crashed in qualifying and saw his race last
just three corners before he locked up and speared into the
barrier, marking his first non-finish of the year. It was an
uncharacteristic weekend for the Australian who is seeking to
clinch his first title this year. The race was won by Max
Verstappen in dominant fashion, as the Red Bull driver crushed the
competition en route to his sixth career grand slam, drawing praise
from Brabham. “It all kind of fell apart [for McLaren] in Baku,
obviously in tricky conditions,” Brabham exclusively told
RacingNews365 . “But look at someone like Max, who again did a
flawless example of what a world champion is like.” Brabham has
backed McLaren to use the difficult weekend to reset and come out
stronger in the weeks ahead. “McLaren and Oscar had just one of
those bad weekends, just didn’t quite work out for them,” he said.
“[There were] too many mistakes that were very costly. You have to
ask the question, why? “Is that the pressure of everything building
to the point where it has to have like a pop-off valve to release
the pressure and readjust for the rest of the season? “It could be
seen as a blessing in some way, because it’s helped them to do that
and refocus for the rest of the season. So it’ll be fascinating to
see what happens next.” Norris could not take advantage of the poor
race from Piastri and ended the grand prix in seventh, allowing
Piastri to walk away from the weekend with a healthy 25-point lead
intact. With seven rounds remaining, there is still an opportunity
for Norris to overcome the deficit. But having missed out on a
chance to take a large bite out of Piastri's lead in Baku, Brabham
stated the latter will be content that his mistakes didn't cost him
to a greater extent. “Lando had a great opportunity in qualifying
in particular, to get up the grid, but he didn’t quite do that,”
Brabham highlighted. “In the race, obviously, with the way the
track was and how little effect the DRS seemed to have, he just
couldn’t move up. “So an opportunity missed from, from Lando’s
point of view, and I think Oscar definitely has gone away from the
weekend going ‘that could have gone a lot worse’.
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