F1 Q&A: Is this season Norris' best chance to win title?

McLaren's Oscar Piastri won his 2nd title astatine nan Azerbaijan Grand Prix aft a gripping conflict pinch Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

With team-mate Lando Norris finishing fourth, McLaren person taken nan lead successful nan constructors’ title from Red Bull.

The title ended nether a virtual information car aft a clang betwixt Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

BBC F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your questions aft nan title successful Baku.

With Oscar Piastri looking for illustration nan faster driver, will this play beryllium Lando Norris' champion opportunity to beryllium a world champion successful a McLaren? – Vipul

There’s a batch to unpick successful that question, and it seems to beryllium based connected immoderate beautiful questionable assumptions.

First of all, it’s not correct to opportunity that Piastri is "the faster driver" astatine McLaren. In fact, Norris has had a flimsy separator connected absolute gait this year.

In their qualifying head-to-head, Norris is starring 13-3, and is quicker by an mean of 0.116 seconds. That’s counting races only wherever a adjacent comparison tin beryllium made, and not including bedewed sessions successful nan mean velocity calculation. The past clip Piastri hit Norris successful qualifying was successful Monaco backmost successful May.

And Norris is up of Piastri successful nan title by 32 points.

Yes, Piastri has scored much points than immoderate different driver successful nan past 7 races - but that doesn’t needfully mean he has been "faster" than Norris crossed them.

It’s really amazingly difficult to show which of nan McLaren drivers has been quicker successful astir of those grands prix because location is simply a batch of condition progressive successful nan races successful which Piastri has vanished up of Norris - Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Italy and Azerbaijan.

In Austria, Norris was good up but was deed by Max Verstappen arsenic they battled for nan lead and dropped backmost pinch a damaged car.

In Hungary, Norris qualified up successful a McLaren one-two but was beaten disconnected nan statement by Piastri. In nan race, their gait looked beautiful similar. Piastri edged distant erstwhile he had nan lead, Norris did nan aforesaid erstwhile he did. As Piastri has said: "Clean aerial is king."

In Belgium, Norris made a correction connected nan first thigh and that allowed Piastri and others to get ahead. In Italy, Piastri overtook him connected nan first thigh - and thereafter had cleanable aerial while Norris was down Piastri and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, expanding his tyre wear. And successful Baku, Norris was unlucky to travel crossed a yellowish emblem successful qualifying.

That’s not to make excuses for Norris. It’s conscionable discourse that is important to carnivore successful mind earlier forming conclusions astir which driver is "faster".

On balance, a adjacent summary of nan McLaren drivers’ seasons mightiness beryllium to opportunity that they are intimately matched, Norris has been somewhat faster successful qualifying, but that Piastri has been a much decisive and intuitive racer, and made less mini errors.

Piastri is an outstanding talent, and his racecraft is among nan champion successful nan field. His overtaking moves to return nan lead against Norris successful Monza and Leclerc successful Baku were perfectly superb.

McLaren Racing main executive serviceman Zak Brown says he has nan champion driver line-up connected nan grid. It’s a subjective constituent - Lewis Hamilton and George Russell is rather nan pairing, arsenic will beryllium Hamilton and Leclerc adjacent twelvemonth - but it’s surely existent that it is simply a awesome combination.

Their competitiveness will doubtless origin McLaren immoderate headaches, and it will mean some raise their crippled arsenic they conflict for soul supremacy.

But Norris is only 24, and he’s undoubtedly 1 of nan elite. Piastri is quickly establishing himself successful nan aforesaid bracket. This is Norris’ first chance of nan title, but it surely won’t beryllium his last.

Both Norris and Piastri look for illustration early world champions, successful fact. And nan imaginable of their title arsenic team-mates is mouth-watering. They some person galore years of occurrence up of them.

When was nan past juncture a squad specified arsenic Red Bull dominated nan first half of a play only to autumn distant successful specified melodramatic fashion? – David

Red Bull person so suffered a melodramatic diminution successful competitiveness this season. From dominating nan commencement of nan twelvemonth - 4 wins successful nan first 5 races, and 7 successful nan first 10 for Max Verstappen, to now not winning for 7 grands prix.

It is highly unusual, but it is not unprecedented.

For example, successful 2009, Jenson Button won six of nan first 7 races pinch Brawn, aft which he had much than double nan points of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who would look arsenic Button’s closest title rival.

Button past did not triumph again each season, and nan title became a batch much tense and tight than it had looked for illustration it would. In nan end, Button won it pinch a title to spare pinch a awesome thrust to 5th spot successful Brazil from 14th connected nan grid.

Before that, you person to spell backmost to 1991, erstwhile Ayrton Senna won nan first 4 races for McLaren while Williams struggled pinch reliability pinch their caller FW14 - Adrian Newey’s first awesome car.

Senna past won only doubly much earlier sealing nan title successful Japan pinch a title to spell - aft a correction by Williams driver Nigel Mansell, who spun disconnected connected thigh nine.

I tin deliberation of 1 much illustration - 1979, erstwhile Ligier dominated nan first 2 races, Jacques Laffite winning both.

But past nan squad mislaid its way. It’s a fascinating story, including an anecdote astir nan squad proprietor Guy Ligier deliberately smashing up nan car’s sidepods because he wanted nan squad to build caller ones to a different design. And it’s told brilliantly by my friend and workfellow Mark Hughes successful an article for Motor Sport mag immoderate clip ago, external.

Other than that, there’s thing evident I tin deliberation of.

Will Ferrari drawback Red Bull and is Leclerc besides a title contender? – Felix

Max Verstappen said aft some nan Italian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix that he is not worried astir nan threat from Charles Leclerc successful nan drivers’ championship.

It’s not difficult to spot why - nan Ferrari driver is 78 points down Verstappen. He’d request to summation connected him by much than 11 points a title connected mean complete nan remainder of nan season, which does not look likely.

Even Lando Norris’ target of conscionable complete 8 points a title is reliable enough.

The constructors’ title is different, though. Red Bull mislaid nan lead to McLaren successful Azerbaijan connected Sunday and don’t look for illustration getting it back.

Ferrari are now only 31 points down Red Bull and mightiness good constrictive that spread successful Singapore this play - they won location past year, and Red Bull are not expecting a bully play astatine Marina Bay.

But it remains to beryllium seen really consistently competitory Ferrari will beryllium complete nan last 7 races - Leclerc is saying they person to hold until nan US Grand Prix successful Austin to get a definitive judgement because Monza, Baku and Singapore are ‘Ferrari circuits’, wherever they were besides beardown past year.

How tin Aston Martin prosecute Adrian Newey, salary Fernando Alonso and unfastened a caller state-of-the-art upwind passageway if location is simply a fund headdress successful place? – John

The fund headdress limits teams to spending £106m a twelvemonth connected their car creation and build, salaries and operations. But a number of costs are excluded.

Among these are drivers, and nan remuneration of nan top-three highest-earning executives. So Alonso’s and Newey’s salaries are excluded from nan cap.

As for nan caller mill and upwind tunnel, location are besides exceptions for superior expenditure.

It’s not a broad objection - Williams squad leader James Vowles was complaining past year, for example, that nan allowance should beryllium higher to let his squad to perpetrate nan finance successful infrastructure they consciousness is required - and it has to beryllium cleared pinch governing assemblage nan FIA.

Aston Martin person spent upwards of £200m connected their caller facilities, but it falls nether that criteria.

Might Jamie Chadwick aliases different female driver get a thrust successful F1 soon? Must beryllium amended than immoderate connected nan grid correct now? – Ed

On nan circumstantial mobility of Jamie Chadwick, she is successful nan Williams F1 driver improvement programme, and is pursuing a profession successful IndyNXT successful nan US, Indycar’s balanced of Formula 2. This year, she has won a title and vanished seventh successful nan championship, which ended connected Sunday successful Nashville.

As for nan wider mobility of erstwhile a female driver mightiness scope F1, I would mention you to Susie Wolff, head of nan F1 Academy, nan entry-level bid for aspiring female drivers.

Wolff told BBC Sport past year: "It’s going to return a agelong time."

The constituent of nan F1 Academy is arsenic a first measurement to thief nan astir talented female drivers connected to nan feeder bid ladder, and to pull much women into motorsport to summation nan chances of personification making it longer term.

It's clear that among nan obstacles to a female making it to F1 is nan deficiency of practice of women successful motorsport, and nan very debased percent of racing drivers who are female.

As Wolff puts it: "I americium good alert we request to summation nan talent excavation for nan champion to emergence up, and only past will we beryllium capable to unfastened nan doorway to F1."

The racing is truthful awesome now. Why tin we not support these regulations for longer? – PM

F1 is so successful beautiful bully style correct now. These existent regulations are acold from cleanable - nan ground-effect cars are astir apt excessively stiff, they are excessively prone to 'bouncing', they person not improved overtaking anyplace adjacent arsenic overmuch arsenic was promised, and nan Pirelli tyres are still excessively thermally sensitive, which harms nan racing.

But nan apical 4 teams are very intimately matched and nan racing from arena to arena is very competitive.

F1 is committed to caller rules being introduced successful 2026 though, and location is nary going back.

The caller power-unit regulations - which summation nan proportionality of wide powerfulness provided by nan hybrid portion of nan motor to astir 50% and instruction afloat sustainable fuels - were introduced to support F1 applicable and pull caller manufacturers. They succeeded successful persuading Honda to enactment and getting Audi and Ford to enter.

The cars are being changed, excessively - astatine slightest partially because of immoderate of nan points mentioned successful nan commencement of this answer.

Will this make nan section little competitive? It’s rather possible. Quite often, erstwhile caller rules are introduced, 1 squad does commencement pinch an advantage. But it’s intolerable to cognize correct now. And successful immoderate case, everyone successful F1 accepts that nan rules request to beryllium refreshed each fewer years.

Will Franco Colapinto’s awesome shape gain him a thrust pinch a squad for adjacent year? – Brendan

Franco Colapinto has so performed good successful his 2 races since replacing Logan Sargeant astatine Williams, afloat justifying nan team’s determination to driblet nan American and beforehand nan Argentine.

Colapinto vanished eighth successful Baku connected Sunday successful only his 2nd race, and would person scored a constituent for 10th moreover without nan clang betwixt Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez successful nan closing stages.

But location is nary disposable spot astatine Williams successful 2025 - they person already signed Alex Albon and Sainz.

In fact, location is only 1 spot still unfastened to Colapinto connected nan grid, really, because though Red Bull person still not confirmed their line-up astatine RB, they will instrumentality in-house.

That intends only nan 2nd Sauber spot alongside Nico Hulkenberg is up for grabs successful 2025. And Colapinto does not look to beryllium a frontrunner for that.

It appears astatine nan infinitesimal arsenic if it is betwixt incumbent Valtteri Bottas and Formula 2 title leader Gabriel Bortoleto, who is simply a protege of Fernando Alonso.

Bortoleto, a 19-year-old Brazilian, has had a very awesome run successful F2 this year, including a superb triumph successful nan Monza characteristic title from nan backmost of nan grid.

I often perceive nan building of putting a power rhythm done nan tyres. Can you please explicate nan benefits of doing this? – Gordon

This is simply a reference to nan alleged 'scrubbing' of tyres - erstwhile teams tally nan tyres for 1 slow thigh earlier putting them speech for later usage.

It’s done to hole them for usage successful nan race. Teams ever want marque caller tyres for qualifying.

Some teams judge that 'scrubbing' tyres makes them much resilient and easier to grip successful nan race. McLaren and Aston Martin are 2 examples.

Often, for example, erstwhile you look astatine nan database of tyres disposable for each driver for nan race, it will look arsenic if they person less marque caller tyres than different teams. Quite often, astatine slightest immoderate of those 'used' tyres will simply beryllium scrubbed.

But this is not an nonstop science. Even nan engineers whose teams do it will show you location is nary absolute impervious it makes nan tyres amended for nan race. Many teams don’t judge it does and thin not to do it.