McLaren had the chance to seal the constructors’ championship at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but instead endured their toughest weekend of the season.
The 2025 campaign has been remarkable for the team, and a second successive constructors’ crown remains inevitable—just delayed.
Mercedes overtook Ferrari in the standings after George Russell finished second and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli took fourth. However, the gap to McLaren is so vast that only a total collapse from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris—failing to score for the rest of the year—would make a comeback possible.
Both McLaren drivers are focused on chasing their maiden drivers’ title, but Baku offered little progress for either of them.
Oscar Piastri admitted responsibility for what he called his poorest weekend of the season after crashing in both qualifying and the race.
His woes deepened when a false-start penalty was annulled because he failed to complete the opening lap, ending his return to Baku in the barriers.
Teammate Lando Norris, who began the weekend 31 points adrift of Piastri, missed the chance to close the gap and instead saw Max Verstappen re-emerge as a title threat after the Dutchman’s second straight victory.
Norris, who finished seventh, reflected on Piastri’s struggles and warned of Red Bull’s growing momentum.
