Expert says McLaren no longer needs 'payapa rules'

Lando Norris is under increasing pressure as he continues his quest for the 2024 drivers' world championship.

Despite starting from a disappointing P17 in qualifying at Baku, Norris managed to recover, finishing P4 after the crash between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz, and even overtaking Max Verstappen.

Verstappen's championship lead was trimmed slightly from 62 to 59 points.

"I kept that chance alive today," McLaren driver Norris commented following the Azerbaijan GP. "A lot of people didn't think we could catch up to Max."

However, despite McLaren's internal 'papaya rules,' it was Norris' increasingly impressive teammate Oscar Piastri who took victory on Sunday. The young Australian managed to close his points gap to Norris to just 32 at Baku.

"The most important thing is that Norris is not maximising again," former F1 driver Christijan Albers explained to Viaplay after the race. "That means Max can keep the points losses small."

Albers added, "Max can count himself lucky that Q1 didn't go well for Norris. That kept the damage limited. Piastri won here, but that could have been Norris."

Albers believes that Verstappen's primary advantage is his ability to stay "super focused," whereas Norris, who is 24, has admitted to dealing with nerves.

"You also have to force good luck," said the former Minardi driver. "Max is super focused. You don't see him on the street - he is always busy with his sport."

"Everyone has their own way of preparing, but I think Norris does a lot of activities outside of Formula 1," added Albers.

Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos has warned that Norris shouldn't rely on his temporary number one status at McLaren, given Piastri's rising form.

"McLaren don't have to worry about team orders anymore," he told Ziggo Sport. "The points difference between Norris and Piastri is now too small for that."

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