Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had to watch George Russell pull away on Baku's long straights. In qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Russell set a blistering pace, leaving Piastri eight tenths adrift and Norris even further back, 1.1 seconds behind. The gap was surprising given both teams share the same Mercedes power unit.
Baku is not a happy hunting ground for McLaren. The 6km street circuit is dominated by low-speed corners, where the MCL40 struggles. McLaren's high-downforce prowess, which yielded wins in Hungary and Zandvoort, counted for little in Azerbaijan. The team brought a suite of upgrades to generate more efficient downforce, but the effect was muted because the circuit demands performance in slow corners and braking stability.
Furthermore, aerodynamic efficiency on the straights is a relative weakness for McLaren. Despite using the same Mercedes engine, Russell's top speed was up to 10 km/h higher than Piastri's. GPS traces from GP-Tempo show McLaren running shorter gearing compared to Mercedes, forcing drivers to shift up earlier. This compromises their potential top speed on Baku's ultra-long straight.
Team boss Andrea Stella admitted that McLaren hadn't optimised its power unit for the race as well as in qualifying. "We paid a price in the race," he said. Stella also noted that the upgrades worked well but weren't enough to transform the car's behaviour in slow corners. "We would have needed a much bigger set to make a difference in Baku."
Mercedes, on the other hand, seems to have found the right balance between qualifying and race performance. Russell, back to his best, exploited every opportunity on the Baku circuit. His victory in Azerbaijan is a reminder that the Brackley team is still a force to be reckoned with, especially at power-sensitive tracks.
For McLaren, Baku serves as a valuable lesson. They need to improve their understanding of the Mercedes power unit and optimise their car setup for different circuit types. With the season still long, McLaren must bounce back quickly if they want to challenge at the front. Meanwhile, Mercedes will look to maintain momentum ahead of the next race.
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