Formula One F1 - Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan - September 14, 2024 McLaren's Oscar Piastri in action during qualifying REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
BAKU (Reuters) - Oscar Piastri can fight for victory without fear of McLaren team orders in Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix after qualifying on the front row, with Formula One title contender Lando Norris far behind in 17th.
The build-up to Baku had been dominated by McLaren's response to the previous race in Italy, where Norris and Piastri swept the front row in qualifying but lost out to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the end.
Norris is second overall but 62 points behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen, while Piastri is 106 off the lead and had agreed to help Norris if needed.
That situation is unlikely to arise in Baku, with Norris suffering a huge blow when a yellow flag slowed his final flying lap and prevented him reaching the second phase.
Asked if he now had the green light to go all out to win, with Leclerc on pole and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz lurking behind in third place, Piastri replied "definitely".
"We can be very optimistic from where we're starting. Our pace is good but Ferrari is not slow either, so it should be a very exciting race. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow."
Team boss Andrea Stella said the Australian, who had seized the lead on the opening lap from Norris at Monza, had put everything together when it mattered.
"Very strong to be P2 at this track, only beaten by Leclerc who is a specialist and has done a few pole positions at this circuit," said the Italian.
"It shows that the car is competitive in all conditions and it shows the maturity and the speed of Oscar.
"The bitter element is that the other car is at the back of the grid ... we will try and do our best to get back to the points and minimise the impact."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin)
