After a run of success had made Lando Norris catching Max Verstappen for the world championship a feasible target, the British driver was given a stark reminder in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix of the magnitude of the task that lies ahead. Knocked out in 17th in Baku Norris’s title hopes have taken a mighty blow, the damage done even as his McLaren team were left fuming at the FIA.
Charles Leclerc took pole with an impressive and dominant lap for Ferrari, his fourth in a row at the track and his best chance yet to convert one to his first victory on the streets of the city – but it was behind him where the bigger picture for the season was being hastily redrawn. Verstappen, who leads Norris by 62 points with eight races remaining, looks set to increase his advantage once more. That the Dutchman was only sixth is scant consolation for a disconsolate Norris, who will start in 16th after Esteban Ocon was disqualified from 13th for a breach of fuel flow regulations.
