Red Bull’s lead in the Formula 1 constructors standings is gone.
McLaren took over first place with Oscar Piastri’s win in Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Piastri defended mightily against pole sitter Charles Leclerc over the final 15 laps and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez crashed out in the final laps while racing for third with Carlos Sainz.
Red Bull entered the race with an eight-point lead over McLaren. That lead is now a 30-point deficit thanks to Perez’s crash and Lando Norris’ drive all the way to fourth. Norris was eliminated in the first round of qualifying on Saturday and had to start 15th.
Norris started the race on the hard compound tire and ran long on his first stint before putting the medium tires on to end the race. The opposite strategy got him in front of Max Verstappen, the man he’s chasing for the driver’s title.
Verstappen ended up finishing fifth and bringing home the only points of the day for Red Bull. Perez is very good in Baku and was set to finish fourth at worst on lap 50 of the 51-lap race. But as he raced with the two Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Sainz, he made contact with Sainz and the two hit the wall.
