2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Race Report

Baku City Circuit, Saturday, 26 September

Find out what happened during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and get the thoughts of McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, as well as Team Principal, Andrea Stella.

The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team endured a very difficult Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leaving Baku without points after a race in which both drivers experienced unfortunate events. On a circuit that typically rewards staying clear of trouble, the team was unable to keep Lando and Oscar out of the action, bringing a disappointing weekend to a frustrating conclusion.

The car proved difficult to drive throughout the weekend, with a lack of straight-line speed leaving both drivers in the race exposed and operating at the limit around the demanding Baku City Circuit. The Soft tyre also performed more strongly than the Medium compound in the race, adding to the challenge, especially for Lando in the first half, and the team will now review the weekend in detail, learn from the setbacks and focus on responding in Malaysia.

Both MCL40s made strong starts, with Oscar moving into P2 and Lando into P4. Lando soon came under pressure due to the team's straight-line speed deficit, losing positions to Isack Hadjar, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton before settling into P7. Late in the opening stint, he ran into the Turn 1 runoff and flat-spotted his tyres, prompting a pit stop just as the Safety Car was deployed following Alex Albon's crash. He rejoined in P9 and made a strong restart, gaining ground around the outside, but was caught in a collision between Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto on the inside, which sent him into the barriers at Turn 1 and ended his race.

The retirement was especially frustrating given Lando's opportunity to recover. Having managed the Medium tyre for the opening 30 laps, he switched to the stronger Soft compound and was well placed to attack the Medium-shod cars ahead at the restart.

The team split the starting strategies, with Oscar beginning on the Soft compound. A strong launch moved him into P2, where he absorbed early pressure from the Red Bulls before settling into a consistent rhythm. His pace through the castle section allowed him to build enough of a margin to defend despite the straight-line speed deficit, and a well-executed stop under the Safety Car kept him in position.

At the restart, Oscar struggled to bring the Medium tyres up to temperature and lost a place to Verstappen. He held position at the second restart, but later ran into the Turn One runoff and flat-spotted his tyres while defending his position from Hadjar, dropping to the rear of the bunched field. Although he recovered some ground, the resulting vibrations and the need to manage the brakes prevented him from returning to the points.

It was a very disappointing afternoon, but the weekend still provided useful learning. The upgrades introduced on the MCL40 performed as expected and the car showed competitive pace at stages. The team will use the data gathered in Baku to understand the setbacks and prepare for Sepang, a circuit whose characteristics should be better suited to the car.

Meanwhile, at Silverstone Circuit, McLaren Driver Development's Dries Van Langendonck topped his Qualifying group and will start Race 1 from Pole later today.

“Very disappointing, it's not the day we wanted. We had the pace to be on the podium today, and were in a position to achieve that. The first stint was really strong for us, but the Medium tyre didn't feel as good in the second stint. The lock up at Turn 1 then dropped us to the back of the pack on flat-spotted tyres, and we could only do so much from there.

“Outside of the result, it's been a strong weekend for me, I have learned a lot and feel more comfortable in how to extract the pace from our car. We'll review, reset and then turn our attention to next weekend. So, let's see what we can do in Malaysia.”

“An immensely frustrating end to the weekend. We had been struggling with straight-line speed all weekend, but despite the car's lack of performance in that area, we were still on for a good haul of points, all of which are always valuable. However, to have my race ended by being taken out is extremely disappointing. There’s nothing you can do when you’re a passenger in an incident like that. It's a shame this is how the race ended for me and the team.

“Despite the weekend being tough, we have some positives to take away, and we'll review everything to see where we can improve and turn our full focus onto maximising performance and results in Malaysia.”

Andrea Stella

Team Principal

“Leaving Baku with zero points is a difficult result to accept, but it is a responsibility we must take as a team. We made life too difficult for our drivers today. We were exposed by fundamental limitations of our package: too much drag, not enough top speed on the straights, and not enough pace in the corners, which forced our drivers to spend the race defending rather than progressing.

“Because of this, Lando and Oscar were under constant pressure and ultimately led to them being caught up in unfortunate events. We need to provide them with a car that is more predictable and raceable, allowing them to focus on attacking rather than constantly defending.

“We see Baku as a one-off circuit and now look to the future with optimism. The upgrades worked as intended and added lap time, but the circuit’s characteristics meant we needed a bigger step to see a clear impact, and we lost a couple of parts in the crash. Despite the outcome, there are still some positives to take away. Oscar drove a brilliant race up until the front tyre lock up, showing the fast and precise driver we know he is. We still have lessons to learn though, mainly for the team, and our focus is now on addressing our top-speed issues to ensure we are in a position to fight for the win in Malaysia.”