McLaren leaves Baku without points as Norris retires and Piastri falls to 14th

Summary

Piastri rose to second at the start and was still third at the final restart.
Norris retired after Franco Colapinto’s Turn 1 error triggered a collision with Pierre Gasly.
Piastri locked up at Turn 1, dropped to 15th and recovered only to 14th.

McLaren left the Azerbaijan Grand Prix without a point despite Oscar Piastri spending much of Saturday’s race in contention for a podium. The Australian finished 14th after a mistake at the final Safety Car restart, while teammate Lando Norris retired following a collision at Turn 1.

Piastri started third and passed Charles Leclerc for second on the opening lap. He held that position as George Russell built a lead, although Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar closed in behind him. Verstappen eventually took second at the first restart, leaving Piastri third with a podium still within reach.

Further back, Norris had lost ground after two lock-ups. His race ended at the same restart when Franco Colapinto locked up under braking and hit Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, who then collided with the McLaren. All three drivers retired. Norris criticised the driving behind the crash after the race.

The resulting Safety Car gave Piastri another chance to defend third place. Instead, he locked up at Turn 1 when racing resumed, had to turn his car around and rejoined in 15th. He gained one position before the finish, ending a race in which he had spent most of the distance near the front in 14th place.

Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of Verstappen and Hadjar. McLaren remains third in the Constructors’ Championship on 306 points, with Red Bull fourth on 263 after its double podium in Baku.