Lando Norris could have challenged Carlos Sainz for the podium were it not for his slow pit stop on lap 37 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , which dropped him behind Charles Leclerc and into a DRS train.<\/p>\n
On a day when championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out on the opening lap in an uncharacteristic error for the Australian driver, Norris wasn\u2019t able to capitalise on his teammate\u2019s mistake.<\/p>\n
Could Lando Norris have chased down Carlos Sainz in Baku?<\/p>\n
Lining up seventh on the grid, he wasn\u2019t able to make gains on his rivals despite running a long first stint to get the overcut on those ahead. And it came down to a slow pit stop, his second in as many races.<\/p>\n
Although Norris<\/a> and Piastri are tied on the fastest pit stop time of F1 2025, 1.94s, the Briton has lost time and positions in the last two races through tardy stops.<\/p>\n In Monza, his pit crew recorded a 5.9s pit stop due to an issue with tightening the wheel nut on Norris\u2019 front-left tyre.<\/p>\n That was four seconds slower than Piastri\u2019s stop, and resulted in Norris losing second place to his teammate and McLaren triggering a controversial swap.<\/p>\n One race later in Baku, Norris was again involved in a slow stop, this time sitting stationary for four seconds as his mechanics struggled to tighten the nut on his front-right wheel.<\/p>\n \u201cThe seconds there were so critical because he would have cleared that battle,\u201d declared Sky F1 pundit Karun Chandhok. \u201cThat\u2019s massively frustrating for Lando Norris and McLaren.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the front-right gun which struggled to tighten up the wheel nut.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really hasn\u2019t worked for Lando with his slow stop \u2013 he would have cleared this whole pack of cars.\u201d<\/p>\n He rejoined in eighth place, and while he was able to pass the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, Norris finished the race stuck in a DRS train behind Racing Bulls\u2019 Liam Lawson and the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda.<\/p>\n Key talking points from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Azerbaijan GP conclusions: Piastri SOS, Lando\u2019s big problem, Max\u2019s post-Horner wavelength<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Oscar Piastri\u2019s championship fall cushioned by Lando Norris<\/a><\/p>\n Had it not been for that slow pit stop, he could have, according to former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins, fought Sainz for the final podium position.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I looked quickly at the data we had on the pit wall,\u201d she said, \u201c[he] should have come out ahead of Leclerc and Tsunoda. Then he missed the opportunity to undercut Lawson.<\/p>\n \u201cSo actually, even without any other overtakes, he should have been P5 without that slow pit stop. So it was very costly.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would have had a much better chance at [Kimi] Antonelli and Sainz if he had been ahead of Lawson.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think McLaren are going to look at that pit stop and think it was very, very detrimental to their day. It\u2019s also the second race in a row they have had a slow pit stop.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s something they need to get on top of.\u201d<\/p>\n But despite Collins\u2019 assessment that the slow pit stop cost Norris several positions, McLaren team principal Stella downplayed the glitch.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still have to check whether, even with the fastest pit stop, we could have been ahead or not of a Ferrari,\u201d Stella told the media in Baku. \u201cWe managed to overtake and regain this position, which was good. It was important for the points and for Lando\u2019s championship.<\/p>\n \u201cBut definitely in terms of pit stops, that\u2019s an area in which we have already concentrated our efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cBut as a matter of fact, we need to keep working because there\u2019s some important performance that is available through pit stops.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen that the racing, if anything, is getting tighter and tighter, so the impact of a pit stop now gets more and more important.\u201d<\/p>\n The Italian told Sky Deutschland that McLaren will look into the pit stops issues as something the team needs to get right.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have to review,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there was an issue on the front right, I\u2019ll have to review and assess, certainly there\u2019s a few things to polish also on the pit stop side.\u201d<\/p>\n Scoring six points in Baku, Norris is 25 behind Piastri in the Drivers\u2019 standings<\/a> with seven race weekends remaining.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n