Why McLaren’s Lando Norris looks ‘sick’ of the media at the Azerbaijan GP

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Lando Norris is trying to execute perhaps the greatest comeback in Formula 1 history. He’s chipped away at Max Verstappen’s world championship lead, narrowing it to 62 points ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

That margin could be significantly smaller by now, of course. McLaren are now well-established as F1’s fastest team but Norris has still only managed to take two race wins, converting just one of his four poles.

In Italy last time out, the Briton finally managed to preserve his lead into turn one. But teammate Oscar Piastri seemed to catch him off guard at the second chicane as he bullied his way round the outside.

That opened the door for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc to demote Norris to third. Leclerc would go on to win the race after executing a one-stop strategy.

Verstappen finished sixth for Red Bull, matching his poorest result of the season. While Norris did gain eight points – he also set the fastest lap – there was potential for much larger inroads.

Having reassessed post-Monza, McLaren are now prepared to use team orders in service of Norris’ title bid. There are eight races and three Sprints remaining to reel in Verstappen.

Lando Norris was ‘not pleased’ in Baku media duties

Inevitably, both Norris and Piastri faced plenty of questions about the team’s new policy on media day in Baku. It was one of the biggest talking points, alongside Aston Martin’s recently-confirmed move for Adrian Newey.

Speaking on Autosport’s round-up, journalist Alex Kalinauckas shared his observations on Norris’ demeanour. He seemed far from engaged.

Kalinauckas suspects that the 24-year-old has grown ‘sick’ of his media obligations this year. Given that he’s scored 10 podiums, he’s often required to take part in the post-race press conference before a fresh round of questions in the pen.

“He was arms folded the entire way through,” Kalinauckas said. “Not pleased. I don’t think, maybe because he’s in title contention, he’s just sick of doing media now. He always ends up in the press conferences.”

What amazed Lando Norris said after looking at Oscar Piastri’s McLaren data

Norris may feel that McLaren have started prioritising his title hopes too late, particularly given that the size of the gap demands near-perfection. But if that is his opinion, he’s only aired it privately in the interests of team harmony.

Piastri is ready to give up a win in the final third of the campaign, even though it will be ‘painful’. That’s according to team principal Andrea Stella.

The 23-year-old is fast enough that he’d likely disrupt Norris’ championship bid without such restrictions. He’s been slower in qualifying in each of the last four races, but finished ahead on three occasions.

Norris is amazed by Piastri’s data at times, CEO Zak Brown says. There are moments when he looks at his entry speed to a particular corner and asks ‘how did he do that?’.