Lando Norris admitted his weekend worked out better than he could have expected after he produced a superb comeback drive to further cut Max Verstappen’s championship lead.

The Briton endured a nightmare qualifying session, being undone by yellow flags and putting his McLaren only 17th on the grid.

He started two places higher, thanks to Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton being demoted, and cashed in and he marched through the field on a long first stint before keeping title rival Verstappen at bay.

Having eventually pitted, Norris then reeled Verstappen in over the closing laps before easing past the Red Bull.

Norris finished fourth, a place above Verstappen, after a dramatic late crash eliminated both Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz – with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri securing a thrilling race win.

Having been faced with the task of limiting the damage, starting nine places below the championship leader, Norris was delighted to cut the gap – which now stands at 59 points – by three.

“I don’t think we could have asked for a lot more today,” Norris said.

“It was definitely better than we were all expecting before today. A great result to be ahead of Max just merit from pace and strategy.

“I am a little bit surprised. When you start 15th and he started sixth, you don’t expect to beat him.

Max Verstappen in Baku
Max Verstappen complained of a “lack of bite” (Sergei Grits/AP)

“I was about 20-22 seconds behind in real terms (after Verstappen pitted). To create a gap ahead of him and box and then overtake him, I probably was not expecting to do such a thing.

“I could defend against Max. I knew his tyres were getting to a point where they were too hot and he could not attack me.

“So I played the game well.”

Norris has now taken 19 points out of Verstappen’s lead across the last three races but admitted his frustration at starting so far back due to what he viewed as an “unfair” yellow flag in qualifying.

The marshals waved the yellow flags due to a slow-moving Esteban Ocon on the exit of the fast final turn.

Oscar Piastri holds the trophy aloft
Oscar Piastri took the win (Sergei Grits/AP)

“It’s not for me to decide, but it wasn’t fair,” he added. “And for it to have ruined my whole weekend – I know I got a fourth today, which is not bad, but it could have been better.”

McLaren have moved into the lead of the constructors’ championship, now standing 20 points clear, as Piastri took the win as Perez crashed out when on course for the podium.

Earlier in the race, Norris held up Perez to help his team-mate, on a weekend dominated by talk of Piastri working to favour his team-mate for the rest of the season.

“I did my small part for the team, which helped us get to P1 in the constructors’ which is probably the thing that makes me happiest,” Norris added.

Verstappen complained again about his car, bemoaning a lack of “bite” and rear grip.

But in the bigger picture the Dutchman accepts that he retains a healthy championship lead on a weekend where Norris could have gained more ground.

“You can also turn it around and say they (Norris) could have done a better job too,” Verstappen said.

“We learnt a lot. We will try to do better.

“If we do a better job ourselves, they need to do a perfect job to the end of the year.”

Piastri started second but closed the gap to pole-sitter Charles Leclerc at the first pit-stops before catching the Ferrari driver out with a superb move into turn one.

He held Leclerc off for over 30 laps in a thrilling battle to the flag.

George Russell was handed a shock podium by the late collision between Sainz and Perez, who came together on the penultimate lap scrapping over third place.

Hamilton finished ninth for Mercedes, one place ahead of compatriot Ollie Bearman who took a point for Haas on his first full weekend in F1.