Azerbajan Grand Prix, a thrilling blend of speed and history

This weekend in Baku, Azerbaijan, marks the start of the final leg of the F1 calendar. McLaren will be hoping to iron out the strategic errors that cost them a historic victory in Monza. Following Charles Leclerc ’s surprise win at Ferrari ’s home race in Monza, McLaren Racing and Lando Norris will be looking to bounce back from what turned out to be a disappointing weekend in Brianza.

After securing a dominant pole position, with his teammate Oscar Piastri starting just behind in second on the grid, it looked like it was going to be a dominant weekend for the Woking team. With Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez starting back in P7 and P8, a 1-2 finish for the men in papaya seemed certain.

That was the plan until Oscar Piastri swept past his teammate at the second chicane to take the race lead. He stayed there until Ferrari opted for a one-stop race strategy, while McLaren went for two stops. Norris came close to retaking the position from his younger teammate, but after the “Papaya Rules” order from the pit wall, Charles Leclerc ultimately came out on top in front of the adoring tifosi.

Verstappen and Co. will be looking to reverse their remarkable drop in form since the F1 Miami Grand Prix , which coincided with McLaren’s rise in fortune after a major upgrade package and the shock departure of car-designing genius Adrian Newey, who has since signed a ￡30 million-a-year contract with Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd ...[Read more]