Constructors’ Championship: McLaren overtakes Red Bull

On Sunday, Oscar Piastri drove to his second victory in the premier class on the street circuit in Baku, while Lando Norris finished fourth after a comeback from 15th place on the grid. Also because Max Verstappen was weak again, the Papaya team is in the lead after the 17th race of the season in the Constructors' World Championship for the first time since 2014.

"When I joined the team last year, we were basically at the bottom of the table," said Piastri, looking back on the difficult start to the season last year. "Now we are at the top of the World Championship. It is great for the team to have managed this turnaround." The 23-year-old Australian stressed that he is looking forward to what the future holds. With a 20-point lead over the "Bulls" and plenty of self-confidence, McLaren is now travelling to Singapore, where the next Grand Prix is scheduled for this weekend.

This is what winners look like: Oscar Piastri with the winner's trophy. © ANSA / YURI KOCHETKOV

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella praised his protégé, saying he had driven "brilliantly". "His future is bright," said the Italian, who also highlighted Norris' calm and composure. The Briton had to settle for 15th place on the grid due to a yellow flag in qualifying, but in the end the 24-year-old crossed the finish line on the Caspian Sea one place ahead of his World Championship rival Verstappen in the Red Bull.

Red Bull is on the ground "It's been a while since we were at the top. That's nice," said Norris, referring to the team standings. It was also nice to have caught up with Verstappen by three points, added the McLaren hopeful. "That's certainly better than we expected." He is now only 59 points behind triple world champion Verstappen. Piastri (-91) and the recently strong Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (-78), who finished second in Baku, also have outside chances with seven races and three sprints to go before the end of the season.

The mood at Red Bull was dampened after Verstappen again had problems with his car and teammate Sergio Perez crashed Carlos Sainz's Ferrari in the fight for a podium place on the penultimate lap. "Thank God we only lost three points in the drivers' championship," said Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko on ServusTV. Without Perez's failure, the deficit in the constructors' championship would also have been bearable. "But that's just how it is."

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Constructors’ Championship: McLaren overtakes Red Bull

With its victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren has replaced the Austrian-British racing team Red Bull Racing as the leader in the Formula 1 industry.

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