What have you done, Lando?
Two things, actually. You scorned an opportunity of a lifetime to take a substantial chunk out of the world championship lead held by Oscar Piastri, who twice crashed himself into the wall, in qualifying and in the race in Azerbaijan.
Both times his exit from proceedings presented a route by which you might make inroads on his advantage.
Yes, you trimmed the Australian’s control a touch, from 31 points to 25, by dint of your finishing seventh.
But, as Churchill said of Dunkirk, it was a deliverance, not a victory. Not a bad drive in the 51-lap race itself, but nor a bold or buccaneering one either. It was an afternoon for you, let’s be honest, hopelessly hamstrung by the events of qualifying 24 hours before.
And to the second problem. Max Verstappen has returned to the world championship jungle.
The Dutch lion’s victory here was his second in succession, following triumph in Monza a fortnight ago. This one was carefully, neatly and gradually accumulated. It puts him within 69 points of Piastri. It was not an exhibition of brutality from the Dutchman, not squaring up at this corner or that, but not all his best works need be like that.
Verstappen led from start to finish, utterly dominant, beyond reach for the rest, 14.6sec clear at the chequered flag. George Russell finished second. He had been high with fever these last few days but delivered despite being ill. What a season he has executed. Carlos Sainz crossed the finish line third for Williams (hurrah, the British team’s first podium for four years, the Spaniard having capitalised on a mad qualifying session) in a race that was a touch dull.
Max Verstappen stands proudly while being flanked by George Russell and Carlos Sainz
Verstappen celebrates his victory in Azerbaijan moments after the race come to a conclusion
Lewis Hamilton, starting a 12th for Ferrari came home eighth, a slot ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Norris started the day where he never should have been, seventh on the grid, after that first Piastri crash. He had one lap to put his right foot down on his rival’s coconuts.
His task was to claim pole or front-row slot. Yet, he produced a tepid lap, only two places ahead of Piastri. Verstappen, masterful amid spots of rain, was 1.122sec faster than him. It was limpid clear who had seized the moment at the end of a wind-tossed, two-hour long qualifying marathon comprising six red flags – the defining action of the weekend.
Norris blamed going out first for his relatively dilatory flying lap. I am not sure that 12 men good and true could have concurred with that explanation. Verstappen started only a touch further back in his own blaze to one-lap glory, the conditions barely having changed.
So there was the question hanging over Norris whether he could rise to the task before him in the race itself. Not enough conviction. In his last stint, he was not able to unleash any pyrotechnics – nobody did, though.
Verstappen will have to scale steep maths to clinch a fifth world title. It’s as hard as this for him: if he won all the remaining races and the three sprints, in Austin, Brazil and Qatar, he would score 199 points.
Third place in every race for Piastri would nearly be enough for him to hold on.
Marshals clear away the car of Oscar Piastri after the Australian crashed again in Baku
Have Red Bull turned a corner? They are going well. The package Red Bull used in Monza and here, as well as in Vegas, was introduced at Silverstone under Christian Horner, now departed team boss.
But tracks less favourable to Verstappen’s machinery await, so he is far from favourite for a season-crowning enthronement. But he is Max Verstappen, beware.
As for Piastri’s cameo following his bloomer on Saturday, he slipped down the field to 18th as the lights went out. He apparently anticipated the start, arrested his progress, and then stalled.
Fernando Alonso, behind the glued-to-the-spot Australian, had to divert his Aston Martin left so as to avoid running into the back of him.
Piastri then hit the hoardings at the left-hander fifth, locking up and going straight on, his race over a year on from winning here.
He watched most of the remainder of proceedings from behind a marshal’s catch-fence. It could have been plenty worse for him, as he put his feet up on the ledge.
