Seventh not magnificent – but the best Norris can do

LANDO Norris felt seventh was the best he could manage at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and admitted he paid the price for a poor qualifying after failing to punish Oscar Piastri’s first-lap crash.

- By SCOTT HUNT

Piastri threw the championship door wide open to Norris after crashing out of both qualifying and the race but the British driver could take only six points out of his title lead.

Norris finished where he started after a scrappy qualifying lap left him only two places ahead of his McLaren teammate on the grid.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen charged to a dominant win, pulling himself to within 69 points of Piastri and tentatively emerging as a title threat.

Piastri endured a disaster in Baku, jumping the start before stalling and falling to the back of the pack, and then slamming nose-first into the wall at turn five.

Norris started poorly himself and his McLaren did not have the pace to move through the field, meaning he is still 25 points adrift of Piastri.