"Beat him on track": The advice for Norris as title pressure builds
Lando Norris has been urged to focus on his own performance to force errors from Oscar Piastri after a rare off-weekend for the championship leader in Baku. Piastri crashed in qualifying and again on the first lap of the race, recording his first DNF since the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
Norris, however, could not fully capitalise. A botched safety car restart and a slow McLaren pit stop contributed to a P7 finish, trimming his deficit to 25 points. With seven rounds and 199 points still available, the title fight remains finely poised.
Brabham’s take: no mind games, just pace
"I’m not sure about [Lando] using it against [Oscar], because he can’t control it," Brabham told RacingNews365. "But it was a big shock for a lot of people to see Oscar making mistakes like that... Lando has really just got to focus on himself and get the most out of it because that’s the only way he is going to be able to beat Oscar."
- Points gap: 25 (after Baku)
- Rounds remaining: 7
- Points available: 199
- Key message: Performance over psychology; sustained pace increases pressure
The momentum swing is subtle rather than seismic, but with margins tightening, executing clean weekends could prove decisive for both McLaren drivers.
