Despite a prime opportunity to close the gap with teammate Oscar Piastri, the British driver could manage only seventh place, delivering a race that many considered overly cautious.
“Where was the fire?”: Peter Windsor does not hold back
Leading the criticism was former team manager Peter Windsor, who analyzed Norris’ performance with a critical eye. He asked, “Where was the fire, where was the aggression?” in reference to Norris’ pace during the race.
Windsor argued that Norris failed to take advantage of the new medium tires, losing valuable ground to direct rivals. “I can’t imagine Verstappen in that McLaren, with those tires and that aerodynamic load, doing nothing with the car. Lando, on the other hand, just did the minimum,” Windsor stated.
The situation appears even more striking when considering Oscar Piastri’s weekend, which was plagued by errors. After an incident in qualifying, the Australian began Sunday’s race with a false start and then hit the wall on the first lap. “A ridiculous mistake, almost identical to the one from the day before,” Windsor commented, describing how the young talent’s errors compromised his race in an “extraordinary” way.
The combination of a struggling McLaren and two drivers far from their best left many questions unanswered. Norris rejected the criticism, insisting he did his best with the car’s pace. However, the contrast with Max Verstappen and the missed opportunity for a potential 1-2 finish remains a talking point. In a championship decided by fine margins, the lack of aggression shown in Baku could have greater consequences than it initially appears.
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