How McLaren will be ‘more than happy’ despite Lando Norris qualifying horror at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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Marc Priestley can still see a silver lining for McLaren at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite Lando Norris only qualifying in P17 following a shock early exit during Q1.

It could be the final nail in the coffin of Norris’ already thin championship hopes after failing to get out of the first stage of qualifying. A brief yellow flag forced the 24-year-old to scrap a flying lap at the end of Q1 as Esteban Ocon limped back to the Alpine garage after his crash.

Ocon caused intermittent yellow flags in the final seconds of Q1 after his brush with the wall at Turn 7. The Frenchman’s rear-left puncture nearly hurt Max Verstappen, too, with the Red Bull driver only just avoiding yellow flags on his final Q1 run which sent him through into Q3.

Oscar Piastri can make McLaren ‘happy’ despite Lando Norris’ Azerbaijan GP woes

Norris was not as fortunate as title-rival Verstappen, with the driver second in the standings having to abort the lap the McLaren driver needed to reach Q3. The Briton had to back out at the vital T16 after catching yellow flags, which meant he did not attack the main straight.

It leaves Norris facing a huge challenge to continue his title fight with the Bristol-born driver needing to outscore Verstappen by 7.75 points per round over the final eight. He is currently 62 points behind the three-time reigning champion going into the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Azerbaijan Grand Prix including Verstappen vs Ricciardo

But former McLaren mechanic Priestley – who won the 2008 drivers’ title with the team and Lewis Hamilton – still sees a silver lining to their Azerbaijan GP, despite Norris’ Q1 horrors. If Oscar Piastri can score big points, their weekend can still be positive in the teams’ title fight.

“The thing for Piastri to do now is [to] beat everybody else,” Priestley said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. “If he can beat everyone else, they will be more than happy wherever Norris ends up because they want to get the points, particular for the team as well.”

McLaren need Oscar Piastri in their constructors’ title fight with Red Bull

While Norris already faced a huge challenge to take the drivers’ title away from Verstappen, McLaren are genuine title threats to Red Bull in the constructors’ battle. The Woking natives go into Sunday’s Azerbaijan GP just eight points behind the two-time defending champions.

Red Bull will expect to score points and potentially big points with two drivers, however, as Verstappen and Sergio Perez will start highly. Piastri, on the other hand, will hold the torch for McLaren right after they imposed team orders on the Australian to help Norris’ title bid.